The Sound of Truth
by Uskius
Summary: Rin Takanade was once known as a model shinigami, dedicated and talented. That changes when she commits an unthinkable act, and Soul Society teeters on the brink of civil war while Captain-Commander Kyoraku leads an investigation to unravel the impossible. ((Takes place after the manga's epilogue))
1. Chapter 1

Renji Fudo took a sip of tea. "I'm a vice captain now. Things are different than when you were younger."

"That's the whole point of what I've been saying!" Shouted Yoshiko Shihoin, locks of her dark purple hair falling out of place as she leaned forwards. "I'm all my clan has left," She added, much quieter. "Yushiro is crippled now, and Yusuke was killed in action his first week on duty. You have to understand how much I need you, Renji."

Renji set down his cup of tea on the table, and looked at Yoshiko for a moment. Her cheeks were flush with emotion, amber eyes beginning to glisten. "...It's still not an easy decision to make, because of how it would be for you-"

"Stop trying to protect me!"

"What else do you expect me to do?!" Shouted Renji, slamming his palms on the table and standing up.

Yoshiko looked up at him, backlit as he stood beneath the cherry tree in the tea garden. "Renji…? No… no, you can't be-" Before She could finish the sentence, a sword seemingly spontaneously manifested clean in the center of Renji's face, pinning him back against the tree. Yoshiko shrieked in horror, falling backwards out of her chair onto the lawn. The blood was quickly welling out of the wound, dampening the front of his uniform. "No! NO…!"

"Lady Yoshiko, what's the matter?" One of the Shihoin servants ran out to see the cause of the commotion, and stumbled to a stop when they came on the scene. A strange sword, most likely a soul cutter, had pinned the vice captain of Seventh Squad to the ancient cherry tree like a mere bug. The man's once lithe and powerful form was now limp, his rugged features split in half by the twin blades of the sword.

"Central…" Yoshiko started, trying not to hyperventilate. "Send a hell butterfly to Central Forty-six. Renji Fudo has just been murdered."

C=={======

"No. This is different."

"A vice captain is still dead, Captain-Commander."

Shunsui Kyoraku sighed. "The body is genuine. We've established that fact by now. Aizen has been returned to his cell, and both he and the suspect are completely outside of the social circles the victim and Lady Shihoin move in."

"But who else could have done it?!"

Shunsui narrowed his eye at the Central 46's investigation committee. "That's what _my_ squad's investigation is looking to determine. This will not be another 'Aizen' incident. You have my word."

"And you'd better keep it. If you keep bullying the council around and are proven wrong here, there will be serious repercussions."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Shunsui said casually, turning to walk away. He sighed again as he came out of the hall, and began Flash Stepping back to his squad's buildings. The situation was bizarre, certainly, but he was sure this wasn't the doings of Aizen or a completely random act.

Several moments later, Shunsui arrived back at Squad One's grounds. He headed into the main office, and was straight away met by one of his vice captains, Nanao Ise.

"Captain," She greeted him, with a quick nod. "This is Lady Yoshiko Shihoin."

"Sir, good evening." Yoshiko said with a bow. "I heard the suspect was being held on your grounds, and would like to request a brief talk with them."

"Ah. Well, I'd love to, but I have to keep this squeaky clean for Central Forty-six." Shunsui beheld Yoshiko for a moment, seeing the strong resemblance she held to the rest of her family. He'd heard of her as the quiet and dutiful one of the bunch, and could see she was deeply affected by what had happened. "But how about this, Miss Shihoin: I'll let you sit in on my initial interrogation. I won't be getting to anything juicy most likely, but it'll let you get a feel for the suspect. Would that be okay?"

"Yes, Captain-Commander."

"Alright then, come with us." Shunsui said with a smirk. The suspect was being held in the jail beneath the building, in one of the lighter security cells, but had been moved to his office in anticipation of the interrogation. "How've you been holding up since the incident, Miss Shihoin?" He asked, as they headed down the hall.

"...I'm still in shock. It just makes absolutely no sense. Renji and I had never met her, not even once or in passing."

"It is pretty weird, yeah."

"Have you ever met her, Captain-Commander? What's she like?"

"Ah, I haven't met her, either. According to the records, she got transferred out of First Squad and promoted back when Old Man Yama was still around, so she was out of here before I came in."

"So they're an officer…" Yoshiko whispered, her gaze fixed on the floor. Shunsui noted the intensity of the expression on Yoshiko's face, and thought that perhaps she and the deceased were much closer than publicly known.

Giving her a reassuring pat on the shoulder, Shunsui said, "Relax. If we could get Aizen, we'll get to the bottom of this, too." After going up the stairs they came to the main hallway, which the door to the office was in the middle of. Knocking once, Nanao slid the door open.

"Captain-Commander! What was the delay?" Asked Genshiro Okikiba from where he kept watch over a woman seated and facing the desk.

"The investigation committee was panicked; had to calm them down some before we could really get to talking." Shunsui nodded, silently signaling to Genshiro he was free to go. With a nod of his own Genshiro left, motioning to where a few folders were on the desktop. "You can have a seat to the side, here," Shunsui whispered to Yoshiko, pulling out one of the empty chairs.

Trying her best to remain calm, Yoshiko turned the wooden chair to face the woman and got her first good look at the suspect. They wore the short sleeveless jacket with purple edges of Squad Six's elite, and appeared to be tall though they were seated, having a broad-shouldered and athletic figure; their dark hair cut in an inverted bob that framed their face well. Yoshiko noticed the woman looked a little pale and tired, and though her looks had not benefited from the arrest, found the suspect entirely too attractive for someone who had possibly done what she had. Sensing the intense scrutiny, the woman turned to look at Yoshiko, a neutral expression on her face.

Clearing his throat, Shunsui began, "Let's start with the basics. Name?"

"Rin Takanade," The woman answered. Yoshiko crossed her arms as she leaned back in the chair. Rin's voice was a low soprano, well-rounded and smooth; it was definitely the voice of someone used to wielding authority, she thought.

"Age?"

Rin raised an eyebrow at the question. "Three hundred and eighty-two."

"Really? You don't look a day over ninety," Shunsui said in jest. Rin did not appear amused, and he continued, "Occupation?"

"Soul reaper, eighth seat of the sixth protection squad of Soul Society."

"Soul cutter name?"

"Mountain Bell."

Shunsui nodded, and pulled the sword in question from under his desk. "You are to do nothing more than release your sword and then return it to its sealed state." Unsheathing Mountain Bell, Shunsui laid it across Rin's lap.

"Sound the alarm, Mountain Bell!" With a very faint tone and a flash of light, Mountain Bell took its shikai form: the twin blades similar to a tuning fork, but with a katana's tip shape, leading into red spherical gem at the top of the handle. The handle appeared like weathered wrought iron, and around the middle segment were more gems like the one on the handle; the pommel was a heavy iron ball the size of a fist with more of the red gems on it. Closing her eyes to focus for a moment, Mountain Bell glowed and shrank back to its sealed state. Rin looked up at Shunsui, but his expression was unreadable as he took her soul cutter back from her cuffed hands.

 _"This… creates more questions than it answers…"_ Shunsui thought as he returned to his seat. Rin had just confirmed that the soul cutter that killed Renji Fudo was indeed hers, but it had very clearly been in its sealed state just a moment ago when the general information page in her file had noted it to be a continuous release type. Going further down the page, Shunsui asked, "Commissioned or enlisted to your squad?"

"Enlisted."

"From the academy?"

"From the academy," Rin confirmed.

The same information was on the page in front of him, but there were no concrete grades as there might normally have been in the academy section. Instead were the inconclusive praises "fast learner, great swordsmanship, overall good student". "...Alright. Now for the two obvious questions. First: what is your relation to Renji Fudo?"

"The only one we had would be our professional one as officers of the protection squads," Rin answered, looking down at her hands. Peering closely, Yoshiko saw Rin was more tired in her spirit than physically tired. "I'd seen him before at the large officer meetings between squads, but we'd never spoke." Rin glanced over at Nanao as she kept the minutes, and briefly at Yoshiko. "I'd heard of him as being a very solid and loyal man, and an excellent field commander. I never knew or met him personally, and his persona didn't irritate me." Rin shrugged.

"And the million kan question: how in the Hell did you throw your soul cutter all the way across the Court of Pure Souls?"

"It's… the same concept as a Flash Step," Answered Rin, looking up towards the ceiling of the office. "But the current is focused on the sword, instead of your feet. Less mass to move means the flash can be much farther."

"Much farther, nice," Shunsui deadpanned. "But all the way across the Court of Pure Souls?"

"I sure you could flash your own soul cutter out into the Rukongai mountains if you tried."

"I'll just take your word for it. Now," Shunsui said, leaning back from the file, "You've been cooperative so far. So tell me why you did it."

Rin fell silent for several moments. "...I had no idea it was the vice captain. I sensed an… evil resonance, and acted on instinct."

"Instinct?" Shunsui asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise. "You're an experienced officer, and you seem to have your act together."

"...It was something I encountered in the past," Rin said, almost too quietly to be picked up. Looking Shunsui straight in the eye, she raised her voice and said, "I swore to myself that if I ever encountered it again, I would destroy it." Rin sighed. "What's done is done. I did it; you can go ahead and put me away."

"Alright, alright. There are some things we have to confirm before we do that, but I appreciate the honesty. Now, what is your relation to Yoshiko Shihoin?"

Confused, Rin answered, "None whatsoever, Captain-Commander. I'd heard that the heir Yushiro had been crippled several years ago, but that's about all I know of the Shihoin family. If you don't mind me asking, what does she have to do with this?"

"Eye witness," Answered Shunsui, carefully keeping eye contact with Rin.

 _"But I was alone in my squad's training grounds…"_ Thought Rin. "I was so far away when I threw Mountain Bell. If you don't mind me asking, Captain-Commander, what squad is Miss Shihoin in?"

"Second, as is the tradition for the Shihoin house," Shunsui explained. "Lady Shihoin was with Vice Captain Fudo when he died."

"Oh. Well, pass on my condolences to her, as well."

Yoshiko could barely contain herself as the interrogation went on. Every little gesture, every hint of resignation to her sentencing, and especially that off-hand apology without even recognizing her, irritated and disgusted her. _"True, nothing juicy. But I've heard all I need to hear about this woman,"_ Thought Yoshiko. _"If she wants to be put away, that's fine with me."_

As Rin glanced at Nanao taking notes, a thought came to her. "Captain-Commander, why isn't Central Forty-six handling the investigation?"

There were a number of reasons Shunsui had for personally leading the investigation, but he decided to say, "This isn't as clear cut as something like giving your soul reaper powers to a human or trying to attain a hollow's powers, so I'm taking a little bit of the burden off their hands while-"

"Sorry, but- I literally just told you how I murdered a vice captain a few minutes ago."

"Like I said, we have a few things to confirm still."

"I'm sorry, sir. I'll just have to trust your judgement here."

Shunsui smiled, seeing how Rin's sense of justice would have fit well in Squad Six. "What made you take the transfer to Squad Six?"

Rin's eyebrows jumped up in surprise. "Well, I suppose it was mainly the change of environment. I knew Captain Kuchiki was a tough but fair leader, so I felt it was a safe place to grow and learn." Giving a sheepish smile, Rin added, "And they have a strong kickball team."

"It seems like you would have done just fine in Squad One."

"It was a good place. My time there, being around Captain-Commander Yamamoto and the other seated officers, really prepared me for the promotion."

"And how was your time at the academy?" Shunsui asked, a slight smile on his face.

"It… was busy. I spent most of my time studying, and going through lots of tests."

Shunsui noted the brief dark look that came over Rin's face before she answered. Studying and training could only contribute so much to that, he knew for a fact. "How did your advance placement missions go?"

The look of alarm and surprise on Rin's face at that question was much more evident. "Smoothly. There were several close calls, but I was able to sense the dangers and help keep my team safe. None of them were injured by hollows."

"Very nice. And, I suppose, those world of the living missions helped you graduate early?"

"No, Captain-Commander. I stayed the full six years." Shunsui found that hard to believe- in fact, he was reasonably sure it was the first lie Rin had told during the interrogation- but didn't show it.

"Alright. Well, Miss Takanade, thank you for your cooperation. We'll be in touch with you soon as the investigation continues." Rin nodded, and Shunsui looked over to Nanao. "If you wouldn't mind, escort her back to her cell real quick. There are a few things I'd like to go over with you in private once you've done that."

"Right away, sir." Putting the minutes neatly down on the desk, Nanao walked over and motioned for Rin to stand, then led her away by the forearm once she did so.

Waiting until Rin and Nanao were out of the room, Shunsui asked Yoshiko with a reassuring smile, "So? Your first impression?"

"Her… casual resignation doesn't sit well with me, Captain-Commander. I feel like she doesn't know or care what she's done." Yoshiko smoothed down her uniform on her lap, and took a deep breath. "But if she wants this to happen, then I won't be opposed to it." Yoshiko looked up to Shunsui. "And your first impression?"

"She's cute! I can tell she's got a little fight in her," Shunsui said with a chuckle. "She seemed a little reserved, but there's still plenty of time to follow through with the investigation." Almost hearing Yoshiko scream the thought at him, he added, "Relax, I'll be taking this seriously. Miss Takanade doesn't seem like the kind of person you can just rip information from, so I'm gonna be taking a gentler approach."

"I see."

"I know it's not the way your family or captain usually handle interrogations, but it works. If she's comfortable, she might share information that otherwise wouldn't come out."

Yoshiko nodded, though she was still displeased. "I wish you success with the investigation." Standing and bowing, Yoshiko asked, "If I may, Captain-Commander?"

"You're free to go," Answered Shunsui, gesturing towards the office door. As Yoshiko turned to go he looked back down at Rin's file. Her time at the academy stood out to him the most, but more questions had been created than answered. There was a lot to coordinate with Nanao, and he took out a spare piece of paper from a desk drawer to start a checklist.


	2. Chapter 2

It was dangerous to play games with Shunsui Kyoraku. The potential for injury to bystanders with this particular one was clear to Nanao, but it was something that had to be done.

"I hope you're ready for a workout, Nanao." Shunsui said, grinning.

Frowning slightly, Nanao replied, "Just remember: the first kido flare means that I'm there, the second means that I've found it." Shunsui nodded, and Nanao Flash Stepped away off the roof of Squad One's main office. Shunsui casually twirled the wooden sword around in his hand, and several moments later, the sparkling burst of red light rose above the rooftops. Taking a ready stance, he gave a mighty heave, using the Flash Step technique to propel the practice sword upon release.

Shortly after sending up the flare, Nanao prepared another spell: "Mirror in calm, reflecting and drowning impure flesh! Way of Binding: Invisible Sea!" The air shimmered in front of her, forming an almost transparent cube. Much faster than she was expecting, a tiny speck streaked in from the distance, and came into contact with Invisible Sea. The wooden sword quickly slowed down, leaving ripples in the spell as it came to a halt an arm's length away. Nanao sent up the flare, then stepped forwards and plucked the sword out of the air, dispelled Invisible Sea, and sped off.

"How was my aim?" Shunsui asked as Nanao returned.

"Good; the sword was just a little to my right." Handing the sword back, Nanao said, "So it seems like this is actually a viable technique, but that was still within an expert's range with the traditional use."

"Alright. This is pretty easy, so go on ahead to the third spot."

"Yes, sir. Also, would you mind sending up a flare of your own before the flash?"

"Ha! Should have already thought of that. See, this is why I keep you around." With a small smile, Nanao turned and began her trek out across the Court of Pure Souls.

The game of catch stretched on, the distance increasing between each of Shunsui's flashes. With each throw, Nanao increased the size of Invisible Sea to compensate for any potential inaccuracies; though there was one errant flash that put the wooden sword partially out of the spell, for the most part the flashes were generally on target.

After the last throw, Nanao Flash Stepped back onto the roof of Squad One's main office, breathing heavily. Shunsui waited for her to catch her breath, then asked, "So what do you think? I don't know about going all the way to the mountains like she said I could, but I was still pretty comfortable with that last one."

"The theory certainly checks out. But that last one was close to the gate, which is definitely outside an expert's range with the traditional use, and most likely outside an expert's range with the sword only use," Nanao answered. "Now, don't let this go to your head, but you're a Flash Step master, and have plenty of power to spare."

"Hmm…" Shunsui held his chin and gazed out towards the horizon, taking in the morning skyline as he thought. "It's possible she's much stronger than she lets on- I know there are a good handful of seated officers with a vice captain's strength- but if what you're implying is correct, that would still put the flash well short of where it landed."

Nanao nodded in agreement. "So either she was a lot closer than she initially said, or someone stole her soul cutter."

"Wait!" A thought pinged into Shunsui's head, and he looked down at Nanao. "Remember Gin Ichimaru? What if her soul cutter had an effect similar to his?"

"That's highly unlikely, but not totally out of the realm of possibility. I wouldn't say it's how she did it, though."

"Alright. Well, I'm going to head over to the academy. Contact the squad and see if anyone knows where she was at the time of the incident."

"Yes, sir. And don't forget to come back for your meeting with Captain Iba."

"Will do. See ya 'round, Nanao."

C=={======

"It was her, grandfather."

Yasuo Shihoin squinted at Yoshiko. "How? Not even your elder sister or the Kuchiki brat could Flash Step that far, as best I remember."

"The Captain-Commander allowed her to release her soul cutter for proof. I saw it with my own eyes: it's the same sword."

"Hmph! Handling the investigation himself, and letting a criminal near their soul cutter. Yamamoto would've never done such a thing." Yasuo took a sip of his tea. Yoshiko's grandfather had called her in for a "leisurely cup of tea", which usually meant private family business. Though long since retired from his soul reaper duties, the gray-headed and balding man was looked to for guidance now more than when was he was the active head of the family. After looking away into the distance for a moment, he set his cup down and looked back to Yoshiko. "And you say she admits to it readily?"

"Yes, but you should know, grandfather… Captain-Commander Kyoraku doesn't seem to believe her."

"So they may walk free, is what you mean."

"Yes."

"And what does that matter? They didn't know Fudo or you."

"Grandfather, they were in Squad Six, and wore an elite's jacket. It's as unlikely as the murder, but I have a feeling it's not a coincidence."

"Well then." Yasuo said, after a length silence and a few sips of tea. "If they are being proactive, then so must we. You know what you have to do."

Rage began to creep onto Yoshiko's face, reddening her cheeks. "I'm still not strong enough. You _know_ that."

"Shihoin put duty first. If you feel you lack power, that's your problem and concern."

"I'm the one exposed in all this. Who else could be in my place? My weakness is the family's problem, because with Renji gone if I fail this all comes to nothing. My discipline isn't the problem here. There's only so much I can do with where I'm at right now."

Yasuo calmly met Yoshiko's defiant stare. After several long seconds of silence, he spoke, "Very well, then. If you want to make your shortcomings a family problem, then I will hold you accountable for them. Do what you can to make sure you are able to do what you must." Downing the rest of his tea in one gulp, Yasuo stood and without another word exited the tea room.

Mentally, Yoshiko cursed. To her it seemed her grandfather had no care at all for how much she had already sacrificed for the family. _"This is all about family, isn't it?"_ Thought Yoshiko, glumly. She looked around the traditionally decorated tea room, the quote from the human swordsman Musashi that had been handwritten by her eldest sister catching her eye. _"She made grandfather so mad, too. She would probably understand."_ Perhaps it was the desperate circumstances that connected the far-flung dots for her, but as she read the quote, the idea struck Yoshiko like a lightning bolt, totally surprising her. She set her teacup down with a loud clink, and hurried off to her room. _"I have no idea if this will work, but I have to give it a shot,"_ Thought Yoshiko.

Coming into her room, Yoshiko quickly rummaged through her writing desk and pulled out a pen and paper, and sat down. She took a deep breath and looked at the blank page, then began writing.

"Eldest Sister,  
I am sure this note will come as a surprise-  
Ties between you and the family have been  
Strained for some time. I am not speaking for  
The rest of the family here, because I am in a  
Difficult position, and need outside help.  
Though it is not widely known, I have heard  
Through the grapevine of a training method  
Used by both the Substitute Soul Reaper and  
Your significant other…"

Yoshiko paused for a moment, unsure if Yoruichi would be put off by how she referred to Kisuke Urahara, but then continued on, trying to stress the unfair expectations placed on her. Though consciously holding back the full truth, the intent of the letter still felt honest to Yoshiko; there seemed to be some invisible barriers she couldn't break through with her soul cutter or kido studies, no matter how hard she tried, and the frustrations of that were now out in front of the whole family.

Yoshiko leaned back up from her desk. She still felt like writing, but was wary of coming on too strong. Deciding it was as good as it could be, she folded up the letter and put it in an envelope, and rushed off to have it secretly carried over.

C=={======

"Shunsui Kyoraku! I was surprised when I heard you would be coming by this morning."

"It's been too long, Mister Onabara. Good to see you again," Shunsui said as they hugged briefly. Gengoro Onabara closed his office door, and took a seat in front of his paperwork crowded desk with Shunsui.

"The message said you wanted a private conversation. About what, exactly?"

"It's about the Fudo murder; I'm certain the suspect was a former student of yours in the first class."

"First class?" Gengoro asked, his bewilderment clear. "There may have been a few since Aizen's bunch, but they're supposed to be the good ones. I know, because I hand pick everyone in the class."

"Specifically, Mister Onabara, I wanted to talk about Rin Takanade."

Gengoro laughed for a moment, until he saw the serious expression on Shunsui's face. "No. No, that's impossible. Not Rin Takanade."

"She openly admitted to it," Shunsui said reluctantly. "The soul cutter that did the deed is hers- I verified that myself."

"The girl was capable of miracles with a sword in her hands, but she was never out for blood. She kept her head down, put the work in, and always made sure everyone was safe. She used to cry after performing Soul Burials."

Shunsui's eyebrow lifted in surprise at that; he hadn't thought Rin was that big of a softie. "Must have been tough to see her go early, huh?"

"What? No, Takanade stayed for the full six years. I mean, I offered early graduation multiple times, but she always refused."

"She ever tell you why?"

"'I'm here to learn'. Not 'I don't think I'm ready' or 'I'll miss my friends', 'I'm here to learn'. She always said it with so much conviction."

There was a short silence before Shunsui said, "Speaking of learning, I'd like to have her school record, if it's still in storage. It should've been in her file with everything else, but Genshiro wasn't able to get a hold of it."

"Oh, it was your vice captain that sent the Hell Butterfly. Well, I know her records are on hand somewhere, but they're sealed."

Shunsui blinked. "Sealed? Was she sponsored by a noble house who didn't want a commoner attached to them?"

Gengoro looked away before answering. "No. If I remember right she did come from one of the poorer Rukongai districts, but she wasn't sponsored."

"Then who sealed her records? I'd imagine she would be proud of her success in the academy."

The silence stretched out, becoming tense and uncomfortable. "...Central Forty-six."

"Okay, you're pulling my leg, Mister Onabara. Central Forty-six has never had a hand in the academy's business. In fact, I distinctly remember Old Man Yama telling me he wanted to keep the academy as independent as possible. Given that she graduated back when he was still around, there's no way he would have allowed something like that. None."

"...I remember him saying the order was bizarre, that he'd never seen anything like it." Gengoro said, stroking his mustache. Looking back to Shunsui, he said, "I have had noble families ask for records to be sealed in the way you guessed, but this one came out of nowhere, and when I asked Yamamoto, he told me the order said a student had anonymously been requesting her records to be sealed, almost every day, for four and a half years."

"That's…" Shunsui sighed, and massaged his temples for a moment. "...No, wait- it was her."

"I'm sorry, but that's almost as preposterous as the murder."

"I'm sure of it. And how was she during her second year?"

Gengoro held his chin, gazing down at the floor in thought. "...There were a few months where things were rough for her. Her future form in swordsmanship had been starting to show, but regressed a little, and she looked tired constantly. I remember this one time her face got so red when I had called her in front of the class, and a Way of Destruction spell I knew she had down backfired badly. But when she snapped out of it… it was like she'd been reborn: her form improved, and she was stronger, and worked harder."

"Well… what Central Forty-six doesn't know won't hurt them. I'm personally leading the investigation, so send her academy records over to my office when you have the time. And while you're at it, send me Renji Fudo's and Yoshiko Shihoin's, too." Gengoro nodded, and Shunsui continued, "So, what was she like after her second year? Anything else unusual?"

"Only how well she did. I tried to push- and mean really push her- to her limits, but I could only go so far before the other instructors would have stepped in and questioned my methods. Aside from her work ethic, the only thing I noticed was that Soul Burials didn't make her cry anymore."

"And what about the other students in her class, and the academy? They had to have noticed how advanced she was."

"Oh, they did. Her third year is when the rumors of an early graduation started, but the longer she stayed, the more they faded. I remember late during her fifth year a nasty rumor sprung up about her being held back for political reasons, and that one I had to step in and dispel on her behalf. Her last year, though, was quiet. She was still Rin Takanade, hard working and talented, but the novelty had worn off some; her skill wasn't as special to the students anymore."

Shunsui shook his head. "So she knew exactly what she was doing by staying and having her records sealed. Unbelievable." _"The question now is what was she trying to move past that she didn't want anyone bringing up,"_ Thought Shunsui. "Now, I have to ask: did Renji Fudo and Rin Takanade know each other during their time at the academy?"

"Fudo? Hmm… no. If I remember correctly, Fudo was out over a hundred years before Takanade was; I think he might have had that unseated officer position by the time she graduated."

"And did you teach vice captain Fudo? What was he like?"

"He wasn't in first class, but…" Gengoro trailed off, searching back through his memory. "I do remember him being said to be a history buff, and having a great mind for kido."

"Alright," Shunsui said, standing. Gengoro stood too, and they shook hands. "It's been real good seeing you again, Mister Onabara."

"You too. I'll have their records sent along to your office as soon as I can get to them." Shunsui nodded, and left Gengoro's office. He Flash Stepped away back to Squad One's offices, theories of what had broken Rin during her second year at the academy and why she had gone so far to hide it forming and evaporating in his head. He was so preoccupied in those thoughts he was mildly surprised to find himself back at the squad buildings.

As he walked in, he once again saw Nanao waiting for him. "Sir," She said with a quick nod, turning to head towards his office. "While you were away, Squad Six's replies came over."

"Right on time. Anything in them we need to follow up on?"

"Nothing urgent, no- but there were two different reports from witnesses."

"On which end?"

"Takanade's side," Answered Nanao. "They said they saw her headed to the training grounds, but didn't join her, as she prefers to train alone or with the other seated officers."

"And was she with any of the squad's other officers?" Shunsui asked, looking sideways at Nanao.

"Both reports said she went to the training grounds alone, and one says they sensed a brief spike in her spiritual pressure, but nothing that would otherwise suggest someone else was there with her."

Frustrated, Shunsui slowly exhaled a long breath. "...Arrange for testing in the lower levels of the jail. If that doesn't give us anything to work with, I think we might as well keep her in house arrest with a couple Stealth Force or Kido Corps guards while we pursue other suspects." A silence fell around the two that lasted until they had gone up the stairs and were approaching Shunsui's office.

"...You won't be interrogating her again, sir?"

"Oh, I will," Shunsui answered, with his hand on the office door. "Rin Takanade has a _lot_ of explaining to do."


	3. Chapter 3

Rin turned back to see the path behind her, but the steps dissolved into the mountain mist, so she kept climbing upwards. One, two, three more vermilion torii straddled the path before she came to the open air pavilion which the ancient bell hung in the middle of. She immediately felt the presence of Mountain Belle, which excited her; she had never been without it since officially claiming it on her academy graduation, until her arrest. "Where are you?" She asked happily, walking around the bell and even checking under it.

She scooted all the way under the bell, and found there was a light shining through the top. Instinctively Rin grasped the weathered rope and began climbing towards it. She kept a steady pace, but didn't seem to be making any progress. She climbed faster and faster, but the rope became slack, and she began to lose ground, until the rope was pouring down on her faster than she could climb.

Rin fell hard onto the bare ground. Mountain Bell's presence was still near, but it had turned dark and angry. There was a fiendishly hot and flickering light around her that revealed itself to be a ring of fire. Mountain Bell flitted just in and out of view by the wall, its long geta or its twin blades briefly poking through the flames. Just as she resolved to try and pin Mountain Bell down she burst through the wall of flames in a shower of sparks, fiery wings at her back, twin heads of her spear just inches from Rin's heart. Rin reached beneath her for the rope and lunged forwards, only to be shocked into consciousness as she nearly toppled over the edge of her cot. The thin pad of the pillow was in her hands, the last pale grey streaks of night striking the floor of the cell.

"I didn't take you for a sleepwalker," Said the man in the cell across from her.

"Just… just a dream I thought was something else."

"The good one of those or the bad kind? A pillow fight could go either way, to be honest."

"It was a fight, starting to look bad." Rin could just make out the man nodding. She had never seen his face in the daylight; he was either sleeping turned towards the wall, or reclining back into the shadows late at night.

After a few minutes of silence and lying back down on his cot, the man asked, "So why haven't you broken out yet? You've only got steel cuffs on, and if I'm not mistaken, that's an elite's jacket from Squad Six. You could bust out of here in a jiffy and no one would notice for hours; be sipping on a mai tai out in the world of the living before they know where to start looking."

"...The evidence against me is pretty concrete, and I've already confessed to committing the crime. It would just make things look even worse than they already do."

"Can't be that bad, you probably just got tossed in for disobeying a direct order with a maneuver that still ended up getting things done just fine." The man noted Rin's silence, and added, "Oooooor maybe it is that bad. Hey, I'm in here too. I won't judge." Shaking her head, Rin tossed back the threadbare top sheet and got started on stretching for her morning workout.

The calisthenics and bodyweight exercises were almost meditative for Rin, and several minutes later when she finished, she felt warmed up and refreshed. It wasn't terrible, but the cot wasn't exactly the most comfortable thing she'd ever slept on, and it was good to be limbered up. She glanced over at the man in the cell across from her: he had fallen asleep, curled up towards the wall.

Sitting down on the edge of her cot, Rin thought back on her career as a soul reaper as she leaned forwards on her knees. Squad One had been the first place she felt part of something larger than herself, Yamamoto's mere presence being an encouragement and guidepost; the sense of purpose that soul burials and cleansing hollows filled her with; the growing confidence in Mountain Bell, and herself.  
That quiet determination hadn't helped her outrun the pain of her academy days, though. The paranoia made Yamamoto's presence smothering, and so when the opportunity for a transfer and promotion came up, Rin took it eagerly. And now, all those years of progress and purpose were being undone, and might very well come to an end soon.

The slight rustle of cloth alerted Rin. She looked up, expecting the man across the hall to have shifted in his sleep, but instead she found Shunsui Kyoraku, Genshiro Okikiba, and Hanataro Yamada, who looked like he had been pulled out of bed just moments prior to coming along. Shunsui held a finger to his lips, signaling for Rin to stay silent. Hanataro pulled out a key and unlocked Rin's cell as quietly as he could. Shunsui motioned her out, and quickly led them down the hall.

"Captain-Commander," Rin began to whisper once they reached the stairwell, "What's going on?"

"We're taking you down to the bottom for testing," Shunsui whispered over his shoulder. A chill went down Rin's spine unbidden, and Shunsui continued, "Word's gotten out I let you briefly handle your soul cutter during your initial interrogation, so we have to do this as quick and quiet as possible."

"What kind of testing do you mean?"

"Your shikai still raises some questions we need answered before the investigation can keep moving forwards," Answered Genshiro after looking around the landing's corner. "If all goes well, we should have you back before the morning rounds."

"Wait a minute, bottom level?" Asked Hanataro, definitely still a little groggy. "Won't Aizen be a problem?"

"There are three rooms that have the same Way of Binding spell applied to them," Explained Genshiro. "Aizen is in one, but the other two are currently empty. He won't be a concern."

The group traveled in silence down a few more landings before Rin whispered, "I… Forgive me, Captain-Commander, but it seems to me like it would be much easier for you to just leave me down in the cell after the testing. How do I know your investigation isn't already finished?"

"Easy, easy. At the least, I'm going to give you a chance before putting you away." A few moments later, they came down to the bottom level. The dim light seemed to be sucked into the dull grey walls, and of the three doors arrayed in a semi-circle, there was a glowing red character on one that indicated it was occupied. "You disabled the notification kido on the lock before we left, right?" Shunsui asked, turning to Genshiro.

"The chains to the door on the left have been cut off, yes." Shunsui nodded, and pulled out a large key from his captain's jacket, and opened the door, pulling out another key and unlocking Rin's handcuffs also.

A vast and featureless white expanse unfolded in front of Rin. Shunsui quickly shut the door behind them, and spoke at a normal volume. "Mister Yamada, with me on standby."

"Yes, sir." Hanataro quickly bowed and stepped over.

"Miss Takanade," Shunsui said, reaching deep into his jacket and drawing out Mountain Bell, "Here is your soul cutter. This will basically be a sparring match, but by the end of it I want to have a good understanding of what your soul cutter can and can't do."

"Uh- um, Captain-Commander, if Mister Yamada here is on standby, then who…?"

Shunsui smiled. "Don't worry- my soul cutter isn't well suited to friendly sparring like this."

"I'll be conducting the test with you," Genshiro said, smiling gently.

"One quick question: is your soul cutter actually a continuous release type?"

"No, Captain-Commander. It's a kido-based type. I just have it released whenever I can to maximize my awareness with its resonance."

The last word flicked on a light in the back of Shunsui's mind, and he nodded. "If you wouldn't mind, then. We don't have much time."

Rin took a deep breath, and closed her eyes for a moment. Mountain Bell felt soothing in her hands. Taking up a ready stance, she shouted its release command: "Sound the alarm, Mountain Bell!"  
Genshiro drew his soul cutter, which had a gleaming golden tsuba with small four-pointed star embellishments inside a corona engraving around the edge, and advanced.

The smoothness and speed of his steps surprised Rin. She got up Mountain Bell to block the attack, shifting to her right as they clashed again. Genshiro thus far had been keeping up a conservative(if well executed) offense, and Rin wanted to force him out of his angles. She sped up her blocks and launched counter attacks, finding the Squad One vice captain of making the quick adjustments necessary to avoid Mountain Bell's blades. Rin accelerated her footwork after her counter attacks, and when a slash across Genshiro's chest was finally open, the man Flash Stepped away, smiling.

 _"'Great swordsmanship' indeed,"_ Thought Genshiro. _"I see that I can treat this more seriously."_ He flash stepped back in, but just to Rin's left as he slashed up across her waist. After only a couple more clashes, Genshiro noticed the change in Rin's offense, switching from opportunistic to the simple but tried-and-true method he'd been applying at the start. With a small laugh, Genshiro took the non-verbal suggestion and stepped up his physicality while making use a few more exotic angles of attack and counter attack.

Rin began to get a good handle on how Mountain Bell resonated with Genshiro as the sparring duel opened up. His carefully measured offensives didn't quite match with it, and Rin remembered Shunsui's expectations for the session. "Echo!" There was a faint and subtle tone that sounded at the command, and Rin darted in to heavily press the attack.

The command that seemingly did nothing confused Genshiro. Rin had become aggressive, tightening up her thrusts and shortening the follow through of her slashed as she pushed forwards. But, as he kept up his defense, Genshiro noted that the feeling of confusion and unease didn't fade, and in fact, the more he crossed blades with Rin, the more it increased. _"I see…"_ Genshiro thought. An immediate short Flash Step back was taken at the realization, and another one in directly towards Rin, with a thrust towards her front shoulder.

The Flash Step away had surprised Rin, but she was ready for the follow-up, and caught Genshiro's soul cutter between the blades of Mountain Bell. _"I think it's time to end this first phase."_ Thought Rin. "Undertone: Dissonance! _Peal_!" The disorienting and jarring wave of noise washed over Genshiro, and as Rin felt his grip on his soul cutter loosen, she wrenched it out of his grasp with a twist and brought Mountain Bell to his throat.

Rin held Genshiro's gaze for a moment, then nodded and stepped back, gesturing to his soul cutter. Even from the short time they'd been sparring, he could see he had room to safely intensify things. So, upon picking it up and returning to his spot, he held it up parallel to the floor, his other palm on the blade as he angled the flat at Rin. "Flare, Corona!" With a bright flash and surge of spiritual pressure, Corona took its shikai form: a golden bird claw now extended from the pommel, and feather-like serrations lifted up along the spine of the blade that shone with light.

Taking a breath to steady herself, Rin raised Mountain Bell into a ready position, and straight away Genshiro rushed in to attack. She had to squint against the afterimage Corona left behind, but was ready for the slash and blocked it. The drastic change in Genshiro's approach took a moment for her to adjust to; whereas he had been fairly straightforward previously, he was now utilizing a system of feints and lightning fast cuts that relied on Corona's effect. "I think I should have brought my sunshades," Rin joked.

Chuckling, Genshiro called out, "Scattering Feathers!" Afterimages of Genshiro streaked out to encircle Rin, and he vanished, leaving an eye-watering sun spot behind. Sensing his resonance, Rin expected the blind spot attack, and was able to turn and deflect the thrust. One of the iridescent afterimages streaked in as she did so the attack nearly blinding her as it passed across her face. Rin was able to see just enough to evade the follow-up, but her eyes watered as Genshiro pressed in his attack, now using a rush of fast cuts and slashes. Sensing the moment coming, Rin Flash Stepped forwards just as Genshiro swapped places with one of his afterimages.

"Peal!" The dome of sound burst from Rin, causing Corona's Scattering Feathers technique to burst and fade away. She levelled Mountain Bell at him and commanded, "Resonance!" Feeling the unease of Echo fade, Genshiro exhaled and sharpened his focus. Corona shone even brighter, until it seemed as if it was made of golden-white light.

Eyes screwed shut tightly, Hanataro asked, "Have either of them been injured yet, Captain-Commander?"

"Hmm? Oh, no, they're both fine," Shunsui said, looking from his stopwatch to over at Hanataro. "But stay ready. I'll let you know if you need to step in."

Hanataro nodded, cracking open his eyes a bit before Corona's intense light forced them closed again. This wasn't quite what he'd prepared for when the Captain-Commander said he was needed for an emergency mission, but he had been mildly interested to see a vice captain fighting outside of a life threatening situation- at least, at first. Corona had become way too bright, and he had no idea how Takanade and the Captain-Commander were able to stand it.

Genshiro was having a similar thought. Corona was operating unhindered, but Rin was actually focusing on it before blocking now, instead of looking nearby. He could feel Corona's power swarming all around her, but it wasn't able to penetrate her defenses. A look of focus came over her face, and she began to attack his feints, cutting off his motions and forcing him on the defensive. Genshiro had been able to see Rin was fast before, but the level of speed Mountain Bell was moving with now was on a far higher level. He tried to command Corona's power around Rin into it's Scattering Feathers technique, but only a few sunspots emerged around her before fading away. _"Wait- Resonance… of course,"_ Genshiro thought. He Flash Stepped back and swung Corona in a wide arc, calling, "Quill Sweep!" An arc of eye-searingly bright light swept forward towards towards Rin. As Genshiro suspected might happen, the otherwise dangerous attack made contact but had little effect. Rin closed the gap with a Flash Step of her own, and resumed her fast paced and aggressive offense. Out of nowhere, Genshiro found Corona trapped between Mountain Bell's blades again, and she twisted it out of his grasp while he was surprised, catching its handle and levelling it and Mountain Bell at his throat in an X shape. "...You used a Flash Step on your sword to get it into position, didn't you? Rin nodded, and handed Corona back to Genshiro handle first. He accepted it with a shallow bow, and backed up a few steps before taking up a ready stance.

There were a few minutes left on the stopwatch, but Shunsui decided he'd seen all he needed to. The "Gin Ichimaru" type idea was out of the picture, as Nanao had said it would be, and Rin had confirmed the "resonance" remark and the comments on her swordsmanship. "Alright!" Shunsui said, stopping the clock and raising his hand. Rin and Genshiro looked over, and Shunsui nodded. They sealed and sheathed their swords, and walked over. "That was good, I got everything I needed. No bruises or anything?" Genshiro shook his head. "Mister Yamada, go tickle Miss Takanade with your soul cutter for a moment."

"What?" Rin asked, confused as Hanataro unsheathed Gourd and walked over to her. He could make out a stripe across her torso where her uniform looked weathered and faded, and gently poked it. Her eyebrows raising in surprise, Rin pulled up her uniform collar, and saw what looked like a heavy sunburn on her chest swiftly fading. A few thin wisps of crimson smoke rose up from it and dissipated. Seeing Shunsui holding out his hand, Rin sighed and gave Mountain Bell back to him. After stowing it out of sight in his jacket he pulled out the handcuffs, and snapped them back into place.

"Mister Yamada, Miss Takanade, thanks for cooperating. Let's get back to the cell." Shunsui opened the door, and found three members of the Secret Force waiting.

"Captain-Commander?!" One of them said, his shock deepening when he saw the other members of his group.

"Good morning! What brings you here?"

"One of your officers noticed a section of the kido chain leading here had been disabled during his morning routine, and sent for us to investigate," Another member of the Punishment Force trio explained.

"I appreciate the quick response, but everything's under control here. You see, I had the chain disabled so opening the door wouldn't trigger the alarms during the visit." Resting his hand on Rin's shoulder, Shunsui continued, "Our investigation with her part in the Fudo murder is almost done. She's confessed to the crime, and I was just giving her a taste of what it's like down here. My vice captain will re-enable the chain, and Takanade will be going back to her cell immediately, so there's no reason for alarm." The Secret Force trio nodded, and internally Shunsui breathed a sigh of relief. "You're dismissed."

"Yes, sir!" The trio Flash Stepped away, and Shunsui gave a sidelong look at Genshiro.

"Let's hurry. Miss Takanade needs to be back in her cell before they leave the building. And Mister Yamada?" Said Shunsui, giving the Squad Four officer a knowing look.

"Ah, yes- my emergency mission was successful, sir."

"Good." The group hustled up the stairwell, finding the way up and back to the cell clear. After handing the key back to Shunsui, Hanataro and Genshiro were dismissed. Closing and locking the cell door, Shunsui gave a nod goodbye to Rin, and left in silence. Through the bars she watched him leave, and then sat back down on her cot once he got to the stairwell.

C=={======

"Not available? What was the reason given?" Asked Shunsui.

"Training sabbatical," Nanao answered, taking in the sunset through the window behind the desk.

"Training? I thought people in her division of the Stealth Force didn't have any time to train."

"I'd thought the same thing, to be honest, but they said she'd been transferred to the Punishment Force several weeks ago, and as you know, training is about all those guys do."

"Huh. Well, the testing did give us something to follow up on." Nanao raised an eyebrow in question, and Shunsui said, "Resonance."

"Resonance?"

Shunsui picked up Nanao's transcript of the initial interrogation, and flipped it open to the page as he handed it to her. "...'Evil resonance'... So you think this might have something to do with her academy days?"

"I'm positive."

Nanao watched the sunset for a moment longer before closing the transcript. "...My gut feeling says it was definitely her. I know the evidence indicates it's impossible, but it has to be her."

"You'll know soon enough," Shunsui assured her. "My instincts are telling me the 'evil resonance' is the last thing we need to crack during this case. We'll start working on it and the Fudo investigation after one more round of interrogation."

Thinking a bit ahead, Nanao asked, "Do you think it would be a good move to graduate her to house arrest, after what happened this morning?"

"We'll have a statement sent to Central Forty-six and the captains so they know what's going on, but after that, sure."

"Alright. I'll contact the Patrol Force about house guards."

"Kido Corps, too."

"Kido Corps? Wouldn't that be a bit much?"

"If she's going to have her soul cutter back, no. Due to her keeping it released, and how it works, I think the more we have on the house, the better we'll be off if something goes sideways."  
Nanao nodded and turned to leave and arrange the house arrest. Giving her a small wave, Shunsui started on writing the memo to Central Forty-six and the captains. He hesitated over the opening, but he couldn't see a good way to break news like this, so the memo began as bluntly as possible:  
"After investigation and testing that I can personally verify, it has been determined that the murder of Renji Fudo is impossible to have been committed by Rin Takanade…"


	4. Chapter 4

"I just don't like it. Five assassinations yesterday in Rukongai, and what does he want Kobashi and his men for? House arrest guards. For _one person_."

"Well, there's a lot short of what the memo called 'impossible' they could be capable of, but I agree. Fudo's murder came out of nowhere, but the assassinations, I _know_ there was something behind them." Satoshi Hongo looked around at the assembled members of the Stealth Force who had gathered for the secret meeting. With a lack of information from their division leaders, captain, and the other squad captains, they had decided to pool their information and try to figure out just what was going on. "Gennosuke, have any of your men been to or from the Shihoin estate lately?"

"Not nearly as much as normal," The Inner Court Troop officer said. "As far as I know, the only communications have been for the Fudo family and the Captain-Commander in the last several days, and there haven't been any outgoing messages since Lady Yoshiko went on her training retreat a couple days ago."

"Captain Feng has been quiet about this too, but, well... we all know how she does things," Said another member of the Inner Court Troop, referencing Sui Feng's policy of building character through personal struggle.

"Do you guys in the Punishment Force have any info on if the assassinations are connected?" Asked a member of the Patrol Corps.

"Nothing concrete," Satoshi answered. "They all used different methods: poison, strangulation, arson, stabbing, and bludgeoning."

"One thing I did find suspicious is that they all occurred within a few hours of each other," Said one of Satoshi's platoon members. "To me, that pretty clearly suggests that regardless of who actually carried them out, they all answer to the same person or group." There was a murmur of realization and agreement among the Stealth Force members, and a member of the Detention Unit asked,

"What if it was Takanade?"

"That's… an interesting idea," A woman of the Patrol Corps answered. "But I was part of the first shift at her house. We walked her straight to it, and she said and did nothing. If she gave the signal it must have been something pretty discrete."

"Not to mention the Kido Corps set up some kind of barrier around her house to monitor entry," Added another member of the Patrol Corps. "We'll have to ask them if they've picked up anything."

"There's still her time in jail," A member of the Inner Court Troop said. "We don't know if anyone visited her. She could have arranged this ahead of time."

There was a short silence, and Satoshi spoke. "Let's think of this like we're Takanade: we get wrongfully accused, so who do we hit to maximize the impact on the people who tried to put us away? Who goes down first?"

"Their biggest money makers. If you can't get at the main family directly, that's where you start," Said the member of Satoshi's platoon that had spoken up earlier.

"I think this is a good angle, but the wrong person," Said a member of the Stealth Force's fourth division, speaking up from near the back of the room. "Lady Yoshiko was on the scene, and she kills Renji Fudo. What would she get from the assassinations that the Fudo murder wouldn't have already gotten her?"

Another short silence follows the question, and Satoshi speaks up again. "...At the least, we know Takanade is capable of keeping things buried; the Captain-Commander had to threaten her with a sentence on the bottom level of the prison before she gave him enough to let her go. So follow the money, but keep an open mind while we follow through. Anything else?"

"Are any of you guys in the Patrol Corps scheduled for a shift at her house?" Asked another member of the fourth division. "I think it would be good to keep a record of who and what goes in or out from the house."

"That's a good idea," Answered the woman from the Patrol Corps who'd spoken earlier. "I know I have another shift in a couple days, and I think Juzo over there is up, too. We and the Inner Court Guard should probably work together on this." There was a murmur of agreement with the plan, and the Stealth Force members continued to work on coordinating their investigation.

C=={======

"Kagemori?"

"Dead."

"Nobuo?"

"Dead."

"Tsuneo?"

"Dead, and he got it the worst of the bunch," Zenzo Kuchiki answered. "And before you can ask, Miwa and Eri were killed, too."

"Why?" Asked Fuyuko Kuchiki, the elder trying not to completely break down. "Branch family or not, they were honest. They did good business."

"We still haven't heard back from the Stealth Force, so I would assume they don't know why, either." Zenzo answered.

"Our name is still in good standing! There is no reason for this!"

"It may be related to the murder of vice captain Fudo," Byakuya Kuchiki said. "Rin Takanade is from my squad, so it may be that the assassinations were planned before the memo from Captain-Commander Kyoraku was sent out, and done as retaliation."

"But we've not had anything to do with the vice captain and his family," Insisted Fuyuko. "And it can't be that Shihoin girl, either. She's next in line for head of their family, and would never do something so rash."

"I do feel it is related to Takanade, grandmother." Said Byakuya. "She was loyal to the squad, and a known member of its kickball team."

"Forgive me for speaking of your officer this way, Byakuya, but she isn't a member of the family. She shouldn't be a concern of ours in this matter."

There was silence in the conference room at the Kuchiki estate, thick and heavy with grief. "...If the Stealth Force isn't responding, how do we handle this?" Rukia asked.

Another long pause came over the room before Zenzo answered, "It should be something just as bold."

"What is there to do if we don't know who is targeting us?" Wondered Fuyuko. "All we can do is try to keep the family safe."

"How can we even stay safe if we don't know who's behind the assassinations?" Rukia asked. Turning to Zenzo, she questioned, "Isn't your younger brother in the Stealth Force? Maybe you could see if there's anything he can tell us."

"I thought of that, but I haven't heard back from him yet. Whatever those guys have going on, they're keeping a tighter lid on it than usual."

"I know their vice captain is a reasonable man," Fuyoko began. "Perhaps we could somehow-"

"I have an idea." The room turned to Byakuya, whose hands had been steepled, deep in thought for the last several moments. "If Takanade is involved, whether directly or not, and we wish to keep our relatives safe and send a strong message, then I propose that we offer her to be adopted into the family." The plan was met with a stunned silence. No one around the table, young or old, could believe what they had just heard. Zenzo looked as if he was about to reply, but then sighed and held his head in his hand.

"That's stupid," Zenzo said after a few moments. "I'm sorry cousin, but that's just an incredibly stupid plan, and I really, really hate that it makes sense."

"What if she doesn't accept?" Rukia asked, looking up at her older brother.

"Then there's my backup plan." A frightened air of anticipation settled in over the table, uneasy glances shifting around the room. "Have Takanade reinstated and promoted."

"That's actually even worse," Zenzo groaned.

"Agreed," Fuyuko said. "But such is the situation the family is in. If we don't receive any information from the Stealth Force soon, then we will move forwards with Byakuya's first plan. If Takanade refuses and we still receive no reports from the Stealth Force, then we will go with Byakuya's backup- and I use this word very loosely- plan. Are we all in agreement?" There was a dejected murmur of consent, and Byakuya sighed as he contemplated the Kuchiki family crisis. Family had been the answer to his troubles before, so it was his instincts that told him it would be the solution here. But the stakes were high, and lives had already been lost.

C=={======

Ryuunosuke knew the Containment Division of the Kido Corps wasn't a glamorous job. The work often went totally unnoticed until there was a problem, and which point everyone loudly complained until the division quietly took care of it and returned to obscurity. So when the memo came directly from the Captain-Commander that he needed their best for a comparatively high profile guarding mission, it sent a buzz around the division. There hadn't been this kind of excitement within the Containment Division since the Substitute Soul Reaper's group invaded.

His coworker that was teaming with him for the shift monitoring the Takanade house was a known eccentric, but had invaluable skills and insights with binding spells. She'd joined the Kido Corps out of the academy, like most of the women from her house. Currently, she was working on a two-in-one detection and binding spell that would most definitely have been useful before the whole mess with Fudo got started. Ryuunosuke turned the corner, then a moment later came to her testing lab, and knocked on the Spirit Sealing Stone reinforced door. "Lord and Master Ise! It's time for our shift at-"

"The blast radius is past the door! Don't try to open it!"

"B-blast radius?! You didn't say anything about it exploding before!"

"Sorry, I just like blowing things up! I'll disarm the spell, hold on!" There came the muffled sound of an incantation, and then the turning of gears and bolts that meant the inside locks were being undone were heard. A few moment later the door opened to a cloud of smoke, out of which stepped Shinju Ise. She was petite and thin, her raven hair and piercing violet eyes contrasting with her incredibly pale skin and giving her an unsettling look(that Ryuunosuke still found rather endearing, though he would never admit so openly). "So the Captain-Commander has contracted our help again? I've heard something awful about a vice captain being murdered, but I'm just too busy to keep up with all the talk."

Ryuunosuke began his explanation as they walked through the sterile white halls of the division's underground offices. "It was Renji Fudo, from Squad Seven. The Captain-Commander himself said the murder was impossible, but he's keeping her under house arrest while the other aspects of the crime are investigated. We're to maintain the barrier and-"

"He was killed, but now he's alive and a woman? Mister Okada, You're not making any sense."

"You really are out of the loop, aren't you? His suspected murderer was an officer from Squad Six, and they were a woman. Vice captain Fudo is definitely still male _and_ dead."

"Officer from Squad Six?" Shinju asked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "It's not Miss Shirogane, is it? She has the best goggles, and it'd be a shame if the Silver Dragonfly went out of business."

"A seat above," Ryuunosuke answered as they came to the stairs that led to the ground floor. "It was one of the squad's elites, some Rin Takanade. Great kickball player, and a goody-two-shoes like most of the people in Squad Six, from what I've heard." Ryuunosuke heard Shinju fall silent, but this was not an uncommon occurrence, as she frequently pulled out her fork to inspect miniscule details that escaped everyone else's notice. "I've also heard a lot of people saying it's another Aizen kind of incident, which is ridiculous, as Aizen's down in the bottom level of the prison, and illusion type soul cutters are pretty rare to begin with. But the ridiculous part is the distance: unless she knew some seriously forbidden kido, there's no way she could have-" Ryuunosuke looked over to read Shinju's expression, but didn't find her several steps behind. He turned the corner back towards the stairs, and found her sobbing on the top step, curled into the fetal position. "Lord and Master? ...Shinju?"

"I thought she was dead!" Bawled Shinju, tears streaming down her face. Ryuunosuke knelt down to rub her shoulder, and Shinju said, "She tried to help me escape, but we got separated…" Sobbing even harder, Shinju leaned against Ryuunosuke as another member of the Containment Division passed them on the stairs. He tried not to look embarrassed, but was fairly sure he blushed anyways.

"Will you be able to make it over there?"

Still sobbing, Shinju pulled out her fork, and Ryuunosuke barely heard her say something like "Fourth Heavenly Gate: Wisdom!" Before tapping the air, glowing lines spreading out to form a square. She pushed the square open with the fork, and through it Ryuunosuke could see part of what looked like a bedroom; Shinju crawled through it, the spell's door closing shut after her. Several moments later she returned, still crying heavily, but now clutching a small, ornate black wooden box. Stowing her fork away, Shinju pulled out her work mask and tied it on. "Okay. Take me there." Hesitating a moment, Ryuunosuke picked up Shinju and carried her on his back. They got more odd looks going through the halls, but Ryuunosuke kept his eyes fixed on the floor. "I'm going to talk to her for a while. If the barrier needs any adjustments you'll have to take care of them, Mister Okada."

"Shinju, we're using-"

"Lord!" Shinju corrected with a sniff.

"...Lord and Master Ise, we have Vacuum Dome set up. No one can get in or out right now, and we'd have to undo it to let you in."

"Vacuum Dome is garbage," Shinju said. "If you suppress your spiritual pressure you can just slip in and out of it at will." Ryuunosuke wanted to contest Shinju's opinion of the very effective and high level binding spell, but decided it wasn't the right moment for that argument. "I'll just head in, and then we'll put something more proper in place once I'm done." Sighing, Ryuunosuke began the incantation once they stepped out of the Containment Division's buildings.

"Gentle hand, breath of the wild, caress the horizon and kiss the sky! Commence your western journey! Way of Binding: Magic Carpet!" A softly yielding platform of scarlet energy manifested under Ryuunosuke's feet, and lifted him up into the sky. He knelt down to place his palm on the platform and more directly control it, and it sped up as it took them to Rin's house.

"...Do you think she really did it, Mister Okada?" Shinju asked, almost too quietly to be heard over the rushing of the wind.

"I've heard the Captain-Commander himself said it was impossible. But I've never met her, so I don't know if there was some kind of problem between the two or not."

"It can't have been. She was such a weenie Soul Burials made her cry…" Ryuunosuke chuckled, but Shinju cuffed him on the back of his head for the laugh.

"Well, we're almost there, so you'll have a chance to ask her yourself." It was just a few more moments before the swift flight to Rin's house was completed.

"Okada? Lord and Master Ise?"

"It's us," Ryuunosuke confirmed as he stepped off Magic Carpet and dispelled it. He let Shinju down from his back, and she pulled out her fork, holding it with both hands in front of her. Ryuunosuke shared a look with their colleague, and the glance turned into a look of shock as Shinju slowly and calmly walked straight up to Rin's front door.

"What in the actual Hell. We've been strengthening Vacuum Dome every few hours, that shouldn't be possible! You either break it on the first try or never!"

"She said something about it being garbage you could slip in or out of at will," Ryuunosuke said with a shrug. "Would you mind watching the dome with me for a moment? She said she wanted to talk to her for a little while."

"Sure. Might as well." Eyeing the shimmering barrier of force, the Containment Division member walked up and poked it, the spell pushing back at his finger. He sighed, and the front door opened, seeing the look of disbelief on Rin's face as Shinju removed her veil.

Rin pulled Shinju into her arms, the two embracing tightly. Shinju began to cry again, which triggered Rin's own tears, and for a few minutes they didn't speak as they held each other.

C=={======

Ippei had gotten the short end of the stick and was stuck with cleaning duty. As one of the rank and file soldiers of Squad Two he was always liable to be handed a cleaning job when out of combat, and his captain could always find something that needed cleaning. Currently, he was sweeping the deck outside the main office's West entrance in preparation for waxing it- by hand, per the captain's instruction. As he carefully dumped a pan of dust over the railing he saw someone walking up.

 _"Oh, that's her!"_ He thought. The change in posture was subtle but so distinct he had barely recognized them, and in addition, they had a freshly healed burn mark stretching from their left cheek to their ear. Ippei straightened up into a bow. "Ma'am!" They gave him a curt nod, then continued on through the automatic door without a second glance.

Arihiro was carrying a stack of old mission files back into storage when he saw the fourteenth seat striding down the hallway. Their brief absence had come as a mild surprise, mostly because the given reason was training. "Welcome back!" He said with a smile.

The door to the break room in Squad Two's wing of the office building was open, and Sanae heard the firm and purposeful footsteps approaching. She tensed up slightly, thinking it was the captain, but it turned out to only be one of the seated officers: their normally smooth and well-kempt hair hung loose and unstyled, a casual air of authority now clinging about them. They briefly glanced at Sanae, and kept walking.

Squad Two's fourth seat was coming back from his office with the report in his hand when his former subordinate came into view around the corner down the hallway. He waved to them, and waited at the door of the captain's secretary. Their uniform was singed and scorched, but it was hardly noticeable with how they carried themselves. When they were closer he could see the burn mark on her cheek, and had to ask, "Rough training with Sword of Gathering Flames?"

"The roughest." The fourth seat opened the door to the office, and followed in behind.

"Sir! Is that the report the captain sent for?" The secretary asked, standing.

Nodding, he answered, "It's the report. And before she asks about bullet point four, the answer is no, I didn't have a chance to."

"Alright, I'll make a note of that." With a smile and quick wave, the fourth seat left, and the secretary sat back down in her desk chair to make the note. "What can I help you with?" She asked, not looking up.

Yoshiko waited for her to finish, then lifted her chin slightly and said, "Send out a memo for my platoon and my combat team to assemble immediately. We have some business to discuss."


	5. Chapter 5

"Captain! Takanade's files have arrived!"

"Good, bring 'em on over." Shunsui consolidated some of the stacks of papers on his desk to clear space, and Nanao set down the group of six boxes. "She must have been busy."

"These bottom two here are vice captain Fudo's," Said Nanao, while moving the top two on her right off to the side.

"I didn't ask you for those. Are you trying to take my place, or something?" Shunsui joked. Nanao gave a small frown in exasperation, and took the lid of the top of Rin's academy records.

"The others are Yoshiko Shihoin's, which apparently you don't remember asking for. This box is the one from Takanade's first through third year," Said Nanao, putting it down in front of Shunsui.

 _"First year, second year…"_ Thought Shunsui as he leafed through the sections. "Here. Let's look through these sections first, then work our way out if we can't find anything."

Nodding, Nanao took one of the stack of folders from Shunsui's hand, and sat down across the desk from him and opened the top folder. She scanned over the weekly grades from each class, looking for a pattern. Rin's swordsmanship and step method grades were consistently good, but not quite at the level Nanao had been expecting. _"I'm sure they'll improve over the years, though."_ She thought.

Shunsui was surprised at seeing Rin's early struggles with hand-to-hand combat reflected in her grades. Her bladework had been so tightly controlled, he'd thought at least some of that would carry over into unarmed combat, but apparently that wasn't the case during her academy days. Though the hand-to-hand combat grades stayed low as her second year progressed, he did note her kido grades slowly began to see more consistency.

Minutes later, Nanao and Shunsui had come to the same conclusion. "I'll take the one before, you take the one after," Shunsui suggested, reaching into the box.

Looking for breaks in the trends she had noticed in the first few folders, it didn't take long for Nanao to spot it. "Sir, I found it! This week is where it started."

Shunsui closed his folder and took Nanao's, quickly jotting down the date. "Oh, wow…" The once promising kido grades took a sharp nosedive, and Rin's steady swordsmanship and step method marks started to fluctuate and decline. "I just don't know how this has happened," Shunsui saw in the margins of one week's grades. _"So even back then, she was keeping this to herself,"_ He thought. The backslide continued, going all the way to the end of the folder. "...Nanao, get in touch with Mister Onabara from the academy, see if he has the records of the advance placement missions from around this period," Asked Shunsui, circling and pointing to the date where Rin's grades began to drop. "And see what vice captain Fudo was up to around then, too."

"Yes, sir. I'll check his transfer history and see if there's anything that stands out."

"Let's have a look at Miss Shihoin's and vice captain Fudo's real quick before you message Captain Iba." Taking Renji's academy records, Shunsui opened up the top box and pulled out a stack of folders. Nanao did the same with Yoshiko's records, and settled back down in her chair to browse through them.

She noted right away the girl's step method and hand-to-hand combat were good from the beginning of her time at the academy, as she had expected of a Shihoin. Flipping through the folders after noticing the general trend of the grades and reports, she noticed another trend: large advances, followed by periods of slow growth. First it had been with swordsmanship, then with kido, and in her last year there was a slow and steady growth in the academic branch of her studies. _"'Pressure from her family may be affecting her,' 'showed frustration and needed a break to regain focus'... would these things still apply to her relationship with Fudo and the rest of her family?"_ Thought Nanao.

Shunsui quickly saw that Gengoro Onabara's faint memory of Renji's time at the academy was reasonably accurate: the kido grades were solid and consistent, as were his Soul Society History ones. _"Hmm, 'continues to show excellent knowledge of quincy'..."_ Thought Shunsui. _"Didn't I see something about quincy in the last folder? And what about hollows… Rin mentioned something about their acid before she got choked up in the last interrogation…"_ Quickly scanning through the folders, he couldn't find any traces of the word. "Well, we'll pick this up again later. Contact captain Iba about the transfer records, and I'll get ready for the next interrogation."

There was a confused moment as the mess on top of the desk became apparent, but it only took just a bit of shuffling around before they had enough space to use. Shunsui glanced at the box of academy records, and decided it was time to have a friendly talk with them. There was silence from their end that needed some explanation.

C=={======

The training park was a safe space for Rin. When things were quiet, she would come here to practice with Mountain Bell and the handful of kido spells she frequently used unhindered, far away from the dojo and targeting range most of the squad would crowd into; sometimes she would just sit with Mountain Bell released and meditate. That was what she had come to do, and after she was out of sight of the two unseated officers, she sat down in the shade of a tall tree and laid Mountain Bell across her lap. The soft rustle of the breeze through the leaves and grass calmed her, and Rin slowly expanded her awareness as her breathing quieted.

Rin pictured Mountain Bell in her mind's eye: the tall tengu-geta, pristine white and golden yellow traveling robes, shimenawa belt, and necklace of large vermilion prayer beads. Their gray hair lifted about slightly in the gentle breeze, and their steel blue eyes were somber, calm, and comforting. The outside of the training park began to fade away, the trees shifting into mountain species, and a soft mist lined the area. Rin continued to hold Mountain Bell's gaze, the long look a silent communion between the two. Mountain Bell's weathered and wise face held many secrets yet to be shared with Rin. They were subtly hinted at by its expression, but as Rin tried to tune into them, Mountain Bell leaned in inches from Rin's face and screamed loudly.

The scream was unnerving and piercing, shaking things out of Rin she had kept buried; it reminded her of an old, terrible pain, and she felt adrenaline flood her as the fear seeped in. As the fear grew, so did her rage, and along with the adrenaline energy roared through her arteries, glowing beneath her skin. The resonance was clear, and using a Flash Step, Rin hurled Mountain Bell at it.

Upon release, Rin woke from the dream with a start. She was in her room, and it was after dawn; light spilled through the space between the curtains across her blanket. Rin rolled out of bed and stood, briefly pausing to toss her steel blue sheets back into place. Mountain Bell was still leaning against her nightstand, and the old mountain landscape paintings from the world of the living were still on her walls. _"I've dreamed of the murder almost every night,"_ Rin thought as she stretched for her morning exercises. _"I've been cleared. I need to start moving past it..."_ The rush of the dream faded, but her mood remained low as she moved through her routine. After Rin was done she walked over to her bathroom, tossing offer her pajama pants and kickball jersey and taking a quick shower, toweling off and putting on her soul reaper uniform.

Rin got a surprise as she walked through her living room towards her kitchen. "Forgot she was staying over," She whispered to herself. Shinju was asleep on the slim blue sofa, curled up beneath the spare green comforter. With so much to catch up on, she had simply come back in after her shift outside was over, and they stayed up late talking. Smiling, Rin called out "Li'l Shin, it's morning! Wake up and come have breakfast with me!" Mumbling something, Shinju stirred slowly, eventually sitting up after a few moments.

"...Rin's house…" Shinju said sleepily. Yawning, she stood and stretched, moving her long hair out of her face. "G'morning. You said breakfast?" Rin nodded and smiled, and they stepped over into the kitchen.

"Would boxed cereal be fine? I haven't gotten things cleaned up from our snack last night."

"I think I saw Stroarberry Lion-O's in the cupboard." Rin grinned and got out the box of cereal and two bowls.

"I hope you didn't mind taking the sofa," Rin said as she got out the milk from the refrigerator.

"I usually just sleep in my desk chair at my lab if I have something I'm working on," Answered Shinju, "So a sofa is actually a very nice change of pace."

"So what are you working on? You're probably the Grand Kido Chief at this point."

"Chief? No, I haven't taken anything they've offered me except for my own lab. And besides, I still have a lot to learn." After a quick itadakimasu, Shinju took a large spoonful of cereal. "...I suppose I could be higher up the chain of command than I am now, but after the experiments…" Shinju looked up at Rin, who nodded in understanding. "I just wanted to stay quiet and out of the way."

"I was the same way for a while after I graduated," Said Rin. "But Squad One was good for me. I felt safe with Yamamoto there."

"Did you ever try to tell anyone?" Shinju asked.

"No. I-" Rin hesitated for a moment, then continued, "I think Captain-Commander Kyoraku might already know. He's been through my academy records, and didn't seem alarmed when I mentioned the hollow acid test. I couldn't get any farther than that, though." Two ate in quiet for several moments, remembering the agony that had coursed through their veins.

"But what about you?" Shinju said, forcefully upbeat. "You're one of the top soul reapers over in Squad Six now, aren't you?"

"Well, I don't know about 'top', but I have been eighth seat for a few decades. I think part of me taking the promotions was just to stay busy with work." Rin gave a small laugh at that. "I definitely had plenty of that to do." There was a strong knock on the door, and Shinju turned to look.

"Were you expecting anyone today, Rin?"

"No, I haven't had any visitors besides you since I came home."

"Ah, then it's probably just one of my coworkers come to tell me I'm needed back at the division. I'll answer it for you." Shinju put down her spoon and stood, making her way through the living room to the front door. She opened it to see a tall man standing in front of her, wearing a soul reaper's uniform and an expensive looking scarf. "That jacket, you're… Oh! My goodness, please come in, sir."

"Thank you, Lord and Master Ise," Byakuya said with a nod.

"Captain Kuchiki?" Asked Rin, walking over from the kitchen table.

"Miss Takanade, I apologize for interrupting your breakfast."

"No, no, that's okay, Captain. What brings you by today?"

Byakuya looked around the living room of Rin's small home for a second, wondering if perhaps he should have announced his visit ahead of time. He took in Shinju's disheveled appearance, and figured it would be fine enough for her to be in the room. "...I have an offer to make you."

C=={======

Yoshiko was soaking in the bath, eyes closed as she rested against the edge. She was still resting from her training with Sword of Gathering Flames, the hot springs not quite able to fully heal the deep burns. But since the training, her sword's heat was soothing, instead of confrontational. So many things had fallen into place, and she was taking the time to relax before going full steam ahead again.

 _"I'll probably have to go over the plans with my platoon in the next few days,"_ Thought Yoshiko. _"They have so much surface area, it's almost hard to decide what to aim for… I think I'll take a step back. I may have gotten too close too soon…"_ There was a knock on the bathroom door, and Yoshiko lifted her head and looked over.

"Lady Yoshiko?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"The Inner Court Guard came by with a message from your platoon for you."

"Slide it under the door, thank you." Yoshiko heard her servant slide the envelope in as she leaned back to rest for a few more moments. _"Not as long to soak as I'd like, but if they sent it through the Inner Court Guard it can't be something minor,"_ She thought. Rising up, Yoshiko stepped out of the tub and onto the mat, taking a fluffy white towel from the rack and drying off, letting her hair down after doing so. Yoshiko picked up the envelope and opened it, her expression souring.

"Lady Shihoin, as you requested we have been  
Monitoring Takanade's house for any incoming  
Visitors and correspondence. This morning, K6  
Was spotted leaving the residence, followed soon  
After by a woman we identified as Shinju Ise,  
From the Containment Division of the Kido Corps.  
Both visits appear to have been spontaneous,  
And not mediated by the Patrol Force. We  
Currently do not know what connection the latter  
And Takanade have, but suspect it may be an  
Oblique way of vice captain Ise contacting Takanade  
On her captain's behalf. We will have more to  
Explain in person."

Crumpling the note and incinerating it to fine ash with a small burst of fire kido, Yoshiko quickly dressed and picked up her soul cutter. _"Apparently I won't be getting a break after training,"_ Thought Yoshiko. _"It may not be time yet, but now, I'm ready…"_


	6. Chapter 6

Rin wondered if the hot spring training grounds were still there. She had desperately searched for a place to train in complete secrecy after transferring to Squad Six, and had found the place in the unusual spot of right below Execution Hill. Even though it was well-hidden, Rin occasionally found traces of it having been used recently, and wondered who else knew of the place. But that was decades ago, and she hadn't been inside in several years.

She had made a number of important advancements with Mountain Bell and her other techniques there in the past, and decided it was time to try to move forwards again. The Fudo murder had exposed her, and Rin wanted to make sure that if she had to, she was ready to prove that she belonged. Even as recently as the Quincy Invasion, she had doubted she could be accepted.

Using what stealth she could, Rin Flash Stepped over towards Execution Hill. _"'You may accept one offer, or both. First, my family would like to extend its welcome to you in thanks for your service under me, and invites you to join us as a Kuchiki; second, to have your status as a member of my squad restored, and to also be promoted to the rank of fifth seat to fill Kinoshita's vacant position as they prepare for their transfer into Squad Seven.' ...I still can't believe it,_ " Rin thought. _"Both of those offers were far too generous, but there's no way someone like me could ever fit into the Kuchiki family. The least I could do in return for the offer was take the promotion. Sakura leaves some big shoes to fill, but I think I should be able to handle it,"_ Rin thought as she came to the hill. The skyline was quiet, and after spotting the area of the entrance, jumped up to it, and entered.

The inside was still, but the air was fresh; some of the rocky cliffs were scarred from powerful attacks, rubble at their feet. The crags and walls appeared much more worn than when she had last been, but not having used it regularly in quite some time, it was hard to tell just when someone had been here last. Leaping from rock to rock, Rin came down the the floor of the training ground, and drew Mountain Bell, taking in the smooth spherical gems of its shikai. _"Here we go,"_ Thought Rin. _"Haven't done this in a while, let's see if I've still got the hang of it…"_

Relaxing her mind and body and taking a deep breath, Rin focused the power within and surrounding her through Mountain Bell. The energy was transformed and heightened by using it as a catalyst, and it streamed from her back in the form of wings and burst out from the crown of her head in the form of a takuhatsugasa. Pausing a moment to adjust to the rush of power and awareness, Rin prepared for the next step…

Still aching, Yoshiko's unease grew as she neared Execution Hill. She had thought she was on a level playing field, but then she learned that the captains were going behind Central 46's back and had Takanade reinstated. _"Another reason my platoon and combat squad needed the moratorium on unordered outgoing information,"_ Yoshiko thought. _"The last thing we need is an outsider overhearing or knowing something they shouldn't."_

Yoshiko thought back to the whole new world of power that had been opened up to her after her training with the Divine Transfer Body. _"My place in history, the power to burn away everything before and after me, it's in my hands, now. I can't give up or let my guard down. I will not cower in fear and submission, I will hold my ground…"_ Despite her belief and confidence in Sword of Gathering Flames' power, there was still so much out of her control that the way forwards was unclear, at times.

On reaching Execution Hill, Yoshiko realized part of the cause of her unrest. _"Someone's already here,"_ She thought as she drew Sword of Gathering Flames. _"I thought this place was a family secret!"_ Entering the training grounds, Yoshiko's as flew open wide as she felt the power wash over and resound within her. "Who?! T-those wings, that can't be…! NO!"

Like a light switch flipping on, Rin sensed the appearance of the visitor, their resonance quickly becoming familiar. "First Ring: Ignorance!" The tone filled the training grounds, and when it faded, Yoshiko could no longer sense the stranger's spiritual pressure.

"So strong, and to vanish in an instant…" Yoshiko whispered to herself. _"No, they're still here. They have to be,"_ She thought. "Paint the landscape with fire, Sword of Gathering Flames!" A burst of heat and fire cleared the loose rubble from around Yoshiko, and the blade of Sword of Gathering Flames shimmered with heat, the hamon taking on the appearance of flames. "Show yourself! This is a space reserved for the Shihoin family, and you're not allowed inside!"

 _"Shihoin… so that was her at my first interrogation!"_ Thought Rin. Fear and adrenaline were flooding her like they had before the Fudo murder, hesitation building up the energy that warred inside her. In a flash, Rin chose action. "Peal!"

The immense wall of sound slammed into Yoshiko, momentarily stealing her sight and senses of space and balance, causing her to stumble to the ground. Willing herself back up, Yoshiko focused Sword of Gathering Flames' heat on where she had seen the intruder. With her vision returned she could see where they had leapt away from, the dirt and rocks slightly disturbed. "Good. They've left," Yoshiko said, almost sheathing and sealing Sword of Gathering Flames before she realized. _"No, they're still here, they attacked me!"_ She thought, Flash Stepping back to put herself at the entrance. "Show yourself!" She screamed, amplifying the heat Sword of Gathering Flames released through her spiritual pressure, and fighting hard to stay focused.

It may not have been a problem outside, but inside the training grounds, the heat was starting to build up and make Rin sweat, large and prickly drops. _"That Peal should have wiped her mind clean,"_ Rin thought. Focusing in further on Yoshiko's resonance, she commanded, "Eleventh Ring: Becoming! Twelfth Ring: Birth!"

Out of nowhere, Byakuya Kuchiki appeared a stone's throw away to Yoshiko's right. "What?! How did you hide your spiritual pressure? I would have noticed it if you were here when I entered!"

"A space reserved for you clan?" Rin asked through the resonance. "There is no record of the Shihoin ever claiming this ground," Byakuya said as he drew Thousand Cherry Blossoms. "So I am free to use this space as I please. And what exactly do you hope to accomplish by wielding your soul cutter against me?" He asked, narrowing his stern gaze against Yoshiko.

"BALANCE!" Yoshiko ramped up Sword of Gathering Flames' heat as high as she could, but he still appeared unaffected. "I will not bend, and I will not break! If you should manage to walk away the victor, know that I am only the beginning!"

"So you're resolved to your treason? Very well, I'll-"

" _BANKAI_!" Smothering waves heat rolled off of Yoshiko, and in a flash they condensed into running liquid flames as Yoshiko brought forth her bankai: rippling red lines curled across her skin, which had grown ghostly pale, and nine downy, snow white fox tails had grown from her tailbone; Yoshiko's eyes shimmered with a lustrous metallic gold, and updrafts from the heat lifted her now crimson hair around. "Heavenly Sword of Gathering Flames!" Yoshiko leveled her blade at Byakuya, and a line of fire rose up and gathered strength as it rushed towards him, crashing over him like a tsunami.

When the wave of flames broke, it revealed a swirling dome of cherry blossoms that fluttered away and circled around Byakuya. Yoshiko raced in, staying close to Byakuya and pressing hard with her cuts. A look of disinterest settled onto his face, and he stayed out of reach with his footwork. Thousand Cherry Blossoms' blade petals clashed against Heavenly Sword of Gathering Flames' blaze, scattering burning fractals around the training ground as Yoshiko continued to drive in her blade in close quarters. "I expected so much better from a Shihoin. You can't match your sister's power, nor even your crippled brother's."

"Stop holding back and take this seriously!" It was a subtle shift, but Yoshiko saw Byakuya's muscles tense up, and she blocked the strike to her front and the one to her back as he used a Flash Step to get behind her. "I'm not an amateur you can just dispatch with Flash Blossom, Kuchiki." Yoshiko said over her shoulder, a column of flames spiraling up to thrust down and pierce the captain. Aiming the petal blades down at the tails, Byakuya Flash Stepped away and aimed a Red Flame Cannon at Yoshiko's back. Heavenly Sword of Gathering Flames' fire consumed the kido, swelling and deflecting the blade petals and swinging around to flow in a roaring torrent straight at him.

Sweat poured down Rin's brow and chest, her uniform steaming. Trying to calm her breath, she focused and channeled the spirit particles around her through her veins, the punishing and scouring heat of the bankai fading from danger to a strong discomfort- until Heavenly Sword of Gathering Flames glowed a pure and crystalline white, the flames around Yoshiko storming into an inferno. The ground beneath her began to sparkle, being fused into glass, and mirages rose up from the fire, Yoshiko's form growing transparent and hazy. The mirages settled into the appearances of Kuchiki family members, and leapt in to attack all at once. Byakuya Flash Stepped away, but the Rukia mirage melted into the flames and reformed behind him, running him through with a fiery blade. The other mirages darted in to impale Byakuya, and then exploded, dissolving the resonance.

"I should have known channeling energy for defense would weaken the resonance…" Rin said to herself, wiping the sweat out of her eyes. _"I can't drag this out any longer, or I'll be cooked alive. One attack!"_ Thought Rin. Preparing for the final command, she called out, "Seventh Ring: Sensation! Dissonance!" Then, shaking the twelve rings on the end of Divine Mountain Bell's shaft, she dispelled its First Ring.

Yoshiko's eyes immediately snapped to her. _"That wasn't actually Kuchiki?! And that looks like Takanade's soul cutter, but- but… that shouldn't be possible…"_ Thought Yoshiko. Sensing the critical juncture in the battle, she put aside the thoughts of what was possible and impossible, and ran towards Rin at full speed. "It doesn't matter what the captains think! I will end you like the traitor you are!" Rin was ready for the assault, the swift attacks coming at standard disruptive angles. Yoshiko felt her rage crawling over her skin, and could see and smell and taste the sweat pouring down Rin's face, and hear her racing heartbeat. "Why did you do it? _Why did you kill Renji_?!" Yoshiko roared.

 _"That's it! Now!"_ Rin thought. Seeing the slight opening in form created by the Seventh Ring and the resonance, she knocked Heavenly Sword of Gathering Flames away slightly and stabbed through Yoshiko's foot into the ground. She ceased channeling energy through her veins, using the immense surge in pain to sharpen her focus and pour all her strength through Divine Mountain Bell. "Peal!"

There was an instant where Yoshiko could see the dome of sound blur the air before it surged through her. In what felt like an eternity but was only a short moment, she felt her body turn against her, her senses flaring throughout her entire being and warring with each other, her muscles shuddering and stiffening up before the overload became too much for her system to handle, and she lost consciousness. Rin dropped to her knees, leaning on the shaft of Divine Mountain Bell for a moment, then pulling it out of Yoshiko's foot as she returned it to its sealed form. The flames now vanished, Yoshiko's stillness was even tougher for Rin to bear in the silence. _"This… is this what I am, now?"_ Thought Rin, her throat so dry it hurt to swallow. "...Was that a breath? Well… I'll at least give it a try…" Sheathing Sword of Gathering Flames, Rin picked up Yoshiko, and trudged over towards the hot spring. "AH! Still hot!" Using a quick Flash Step to pass over the ground that had been turned into glass, she came to the edge of the spring and carefully set Yoshiko down.

Stripping off her scorched uniform, Rin disrobed Yoshiko and carefully lowered her into the spring. She stepped in beside her, holding her up and putting her hair in a simple bun. Though the steam obscured them now, Rin had seen the burn marks spread over Yoshiko's arms and legs, and wondered what the younger woman had suffered through. Rin idly traced the outlines of her own scars, clean and straight incision marks that had yet to fade. Sighing, she closed her eyes. This definitely hadn't been what she had in mind when she came here for training, and the stress of the flames and going all-out had drained her much more than she would have thought.

Yoshiko became aware of a soothing warmth. There was a soft presence beside her, and her eyes slowly opened. _"Hot springs? I must be done with training already,"_ Thought Yoshiko, blinking as she woke. She tried to stretch her arms out, and at that moment realized she wasn't alone. "Who- Takanade?! No one outside the family should know about this place!"

"You don't remember?" Rin asked, calmly meeting Yoshiko's bewildered gaze.

Yoshiko saw their clothes dirtied and cast off by the side of the pool. "...No. No no no. You- you- we didn't…"

"We fought," Said Rin, breaking eye contact for a moment.

"And then?" Yoshiko asked cautiously.

"And then I carried your unconscious body over here, and held you up, until you woke."

 _"So that wasn't a dream…"_ Yoshiko thought, exhaling a long breath. "...You can move to the other side of the pool, now." Rin did so, keeping eye contact. "Don't think this means we're on speaking terms now. You're still a murderer-"

"And you're still a traitor," Rin interrupted, a hostile stare directed at Yoshiko. "We've both seen things we shouldn't see here, and now we have to decide how much silence we're willing to live with. Whoever speaks up first dies first."

"Do you think I don't know about living with silence? It's all I've ever done! I've never gotten the chance to decide who knows what. Silence makes you powerless, and I'm sick of it!" The words unexpectedly struck a chord within Rin, and a quiet settled in over the hot spring when she saw Yoshiko's eyes tearing up. "It doesn't matter how much I train, or how obedient I am…" Yoshiko said softly.

After several more moments of quiet, Rin said, "Your soul cutter is beautiful…"

"What's that supposed to mean...?" Asked Yoshiko, slightly embarrassed and uncomfortable. She felt exposed, and the woman's gaze hadn't wavered since she'd awoken. Her slowly returning memories of the duel certainly weren't pleasant, though the striking image of Rin looking down on her before the last Peal stood out. "Yours is… mystic, and severe."

 _"Severe? I'd always thought of her as calm and stoic,"_ Thought Rin. She gradually became aware of Yoshiko's unease, and as she looked away they both rose out of the hot spring at the same time. Focusing on toning the spell down, Rin called, "Way of Destruction: Red Flame Cannon!" A fist-sized orb of flickering crimson flames sprang into being above her palm, warming her. She moved it all around her body, using the heat to dry off. She offered it to Yoshiko, who reluctantly accepted it, and Rin briefly took note of her slender and toned frame before turning and putting her soul reaper uniform back on. She picked up Mountain Bell and Flash Stepped up to the entrance, pausing for a moment when Yoshiko called up to her.

"I promise you this won't be the last time our blades cross." Rin looked back over her shoulder for a moment, then with a flicker, she vanished.

C=={======

There was a sharp knock, and the door to Shunsui Kyoraku's office slid open. "Sir! This just arrived!" Shunsui waved in the Inner Court Guard member, and Nanao met them halfway to take the envelope.

"Thank you," Shunsui said as he took the envelope and the Inner Court Guard member left.

"Keep going through the advanced placement missions?" Nanao suggested. Nodding in agreement, Shunsui set the letter off to the side of the open folders and continued leafing through them. _"Hollow cleansing, cleaning duty for Squad Five, more hollow cleansing… still nothing out of the ordinary,"_ Thought Nanao.

After scanning the student team names for the hollow cleansing mission, Shunsui turned the page. _"Okay, this is the week before… barrier management with the Kido Corps, inmate supervision with the Patrol Force… aha. This is the one,"_ Thought Shunsui, picking out the report and closing up the folder. "Quincy observation, world of the living. Student team: Rin Takanade, Jin Ueshiba, Shinju Ise, Akinari Kubo, Kaguya Shimizu; team leader…"

"What is it, captain?" Asked Nanao, looking up from her folder.

"...Team leader, Renji Fudo."

"Oh."

"A lot of detail in this one," Shunsui remarked. "Individual notes from the students, performance observations from Fudo…"

"Any indication of something that might cause any major trauma?" Nanao questioned, adjusting her glasses.

"Fudo's notes say… there were a few minor injuries from an unexpected hollow attack, but no, nothing major." Shunsui sighed, resting his chin in his hand. "I don't know, Nanao. Things just aren't adding up."

"It may be that Fudo was hiding something, too."

"Eh? How's that?"

"It's a common tactic when a student doesn't have any substantive ideas to fill space for them to just load up their paper with unnecessary details."

"That's it. I understand being near quincy could be dangerous, but back then the squads eliminated quincy, not spied on them. I know that for a fact, as I led several missions to do that myself." Said Shunsui, thinking back to those battles. _"That was around the time they started developing vollstandig, wasn't it? I remember one of the quincy used something similar…"_

"Hmm…" Nanao folded her arms, deep in thought. "...And Takanade mentioned hollow acid. Not a hollow attack, but specifically their acid. So the attack is a lie too, and something else was going on."

"Alright. And where was the transfer record?"

"You put the envelope right on top of it, sir."

"I remembered that, I was just testing you. And thankfully Captain Iba just sent us the one folder instead of an entire box, unlike Mister Onabara." Shunsui opened up said folder, and scanned the page. "Renji Fudo, enlisted out of the academy into Squad Twelve. Was then employed for a hundred and two years by the Shihoin family as a bodyguard, before being recruited by Squad Seven, where he stayed for the rest of his career."

"So that's how Lady Shihoin knew him," Nanao observed.

"And we have another quincy link," Added Shunsui. "I'd bet my soul cutter Fudo was involved in Squad Twelve's experiments and the extermination campaign back when they happened."

 _"OH! That's so awful, but…"_ Nanao bit her lip, thinking over the sudden inspiration for a moment before speaking up. "Captain, this is just a hypothetical question, but what if Fudo carried out unsanctioned experiments on academy students? Perhaps something-"

"Related to the quincy," Shunsui said in tandem with Nanao. "I think you're on to the right track. It seems like whenever we make a break with this investigation we always get more questions than answers, and there are a lot of people we need to talk to now," Said Shunsui, picking up the envelope and gesturing with it. He opened it up and took out the letter, unfolding it and placing it sideways on the desk in front of him so Nanao could read it with him.

"Esteemed Captain-Commander Shunsui Kyoraku,  
I have recently become aware of the fact that  
You are investigating Miss Rin Takanade's  
Time at the academy in regards to a certain  
Incident. I would like to suggest that you reach  
Out to these individuals- Jin Ueshiba, Akinari  
Kubo, Kaguya Shimizu- and speak to them,  
And if it would be admissible, to inform me of  
Their status afterwards. You may contact me at  
This address…"

"They left out Takanade and Ise," Nanao said, glancing at Shunsui.

"I caught that, too. It's not a bad suggestion either, so I think we might as well go along with it. And send the update to Takanade's house also. If she doesn't already know, I'm sure she'd appreciate it."

"Yes, sir. Should we get started on making the list of people to contact?"

"It's going to be a long one," Shunsui answered, getting out two blank sheets of paper...


	7. Chapter 7

Bunji took a bite of his pork bun. "I mean, yeah I know my soul cutter's name, but there's more to it than that."

"So you're saying it's more personal?" Asked Mitsuyo, setting her iced coffee back down on the cafe table. She had met with her squadmate for a brief snack prior to training, and was excited about the possibilities.

"Oh, definitely. First, you learn how to use your soul cutter. Then, you learn about it-" Bunji paused for a second, having thought he hear a scream from inside the cafe. Moments later, a man blanketed in flames ran out into the street, dropping and rolling on the ground. Bunji and Mitsuyo jolted up from their chairs and ran over. "The flames aren't going out!"

"H-help me! Please!"

Mitsuyo took a calming breath, then began the incantation. "Ye lord! Mask of dignity and poise, scattered chaos of the upper reaches: the hanged longs for justice, reform and send your judgement! Way of Destruction Eight: Rampaging Flood!" With a roaring sound, the kido called up a tide of water that stretched across the whole street, sweeping over the man with a loud hiss.

"Think you might have overdone that one," Bunji said as they jogged to where the wave carried the burning man.

"I'm not that good with dropping incantations yet!" Mitsuyo could see thick steam rising up from the man, and breathed a sigh of relief. "Sir! Are you okay-" Mitsuyo stopped a handful of strides away as the steam evaporated with a burst of fire, sending her stumbling back. The man's screams echoed off the shop fronts, and people began filing into the streets to see the cause of the commotion. Mitsuyo stood and prepared to use Rampaging Flood again when the flames blazed up even higher. Hurrying through the incantation she cast the spell, a loud hiss and steam almost obscuring the shouts of the bystanders who leaped to avoid getting soaked.

"What is going on…?" Bunji said to himself as the steam evaporated. The man's pained screams had ceased, and the scent of charred flesh now filled the air as the flames consumed him. Mitsuyo looked over to him, sadness and confusion in her wide eyes. "I think we've done all we can here. Let's head back to the squad buildings and file a report." Nodding, Mitsuyo followed Bunji as he Flash Stepped away.

C=={======

"We're entering into an exciting new period of production here: refining personalities, eye-catching design progress, and enhanced safety." The doors to the soul candy factory were opened, and the board of trustees entered. The warm air gently wrapped around them, and they took in the upbeat and modern interior design. "As you can see," Said Asuna, who was leading the tour, "We try to maintain a positive and energetic atmosphere in our workspace. Since the remodeling, there's been a large increase in productivity among our researchers." Smiling confidently, Asuna gestured to an open laboratory door. Inside three white-coated researchers could be seen crowded around a paper, writing and erasing equations as they discussed the formula. "This group here is hard at work on a multiple use artificial soul we've been developing." Leading the board members down the hall into an open area, Asuna asked, "This is the common room, where any of our valued employees can come to relax. Just inside that door over there is the refreshments room, so this area in general is light-hearted and casual. Any questions so far?"

"Ah, yes, about those multiple use artificial soul candies, when can we expect to see them on the market?" One board member asked, stroking his mustache.

"We're currently in alpha testing, and look to open up our beta testing to select soul reapers by the end of the year." Asuna said with a smile. The news sparked excited whispers among the board of trustees, and Asuna asked, "Any other questions?"

"Who turned off the air conditioner?" There was a light scattering of laughter among the board members, and Asuna also flashed a quick grin before answering.

"There are a number of different climates our tests are conducted under, so it's hard to say who exactly-"

"Out, out! Everybody out before it spreads!" Sprinting from the nearby set of double doors came a man wearing a still burning lab coat.

"What's the problem?" Asked Asuna as the man coughed violently.

"The assembly line, the packaging, it all just spontaneously combusted! Nothing's been able to put out the flames!"

"The emergency system couldn't do it?"

"The system did nothing." Looking around at the board of trustees and the employees coming over from the snack room, he continued, "It was still spreading when I left. We need to save what we can and get out!" Dashing off as it seemed Asuna was going to question him again, the board began to panic, and soon followed. Just as Asuna resolved to investigate the fire, the alarms went off, and a panic broke open.

Asuna made a snap decision and ran over to the lab she had passed by several moments earlier. The alarm was harsh and grating in her ears, and a chain of massive explosions rocked the building, sending her stumbling into the wall of the hall. A short jog ahead of her, her colleagues in the lab rushed out. "What's happening?" Asked Wakako, her glasses askew.

"A fire spreading through the factory! We might be losing everything over there. Do you have anything you need to save?"

"Just the cyclical reformation algorithm," Wakako answered. "I mean, you did have us planted there for show, but we actually-"

"Then grab it," Asuna said, as another blast shook the building. "If the explosions reach the tanks…" Wakako nodded, and without waiting for her, Asuna and the others raced down the hallway. They burst out of the front doors, Wakako not far behind. Now out of the building, Asuna and the board of trustees could see smoke billowing up from the factory.

Wakako wasn't sure what the feeling was, but she grabbed Asuna and her other nearest coworkers and ran. There was a quick shockwave of sound, and then a fraction of a second later, a deafening, monstrous explosion followed, flattening the crowd in front of the building and shattering windows. Silence rung in the ears of the injured, the survivors too shocked to move.

C=={======

Kuna flexed her ear muscles, bringing her glasses just a smidge higher up her nose into a less bothersome position. She peered around the stack of boxes she'd been tasked with carrying over to Squad One's buildings, and saw the entrance to the main office wasn't too far ahead. _"Such an oddly specific bunch of files,"_ She thought. _"So old, and from some obscure experiments. I don't see how they could be relevant…"_ Kuna had briefly known the researcher in question. They'd been willing to help a newcomer to the squad like her with their projects, and had an inspiring sort of quiet intensity that brought out the best in their squadmates.

At the door, she was greeted by a tall and broad-shoulder soul reaper who spotted the tall stack of boxes. "Can I help you with those?" He asked, walking over.

"Yeah, that would be appreciated," Kuna answered. The man took the top few boxes, enabling Kuna to see over the ones she was carrying.

"Where are these headed?" He asked with a quick smile.

"Up to the Captain-Commander's office. Captain Kurotsuchi is very particular about not letting experiment records out of sight, so we have to personally make sure your captain gets these."

Gesturing down the hall, the man introduced himself as they walked. "Kunihisa."

"Oh! I'm Kuna, but over in Squad Twelve."

"The lab coat kinda gave that away." Kunihisa said with a chuckle. "And what's in these things, anyways?"

"Just some old experiment records and files I was told your captain needed for an investigation."

"You mean the Takanade investigation?" Kunihisa asked, confused. "That's odd. Was she ever in your squad?"

"Not in the time that I've been here."

"Huh…" The two took the stairs up a few moments later, and came down the hallway to the office. "Well, that's about as normal as everything else that's happened during this investigation."

"And what's happened to Takanade? I heard she was put on house arrest."

Kunihisa looked around to see if anyone was listening in. "Actually, I heard K Six had her reinstated and promoted."

"That's… illogical."

"I know, right?" Looking down the hall, Kunihisa pointed out, "It's this one over here." Unsure of what she was walking into, a few moments later Kuna and Kunihisa arrived at Shunsui's office.

"Kuna from Squad Twelve with the requested files, sir!"

"Ah, and Mister Kunihisa, too." Shunsui said, standing and moving aside a few folders on his desk. "On time, as always. You can set the boxes down here on my desk." Kuna did so, getting her box edge parallel to the edge of the desk. Kunihisa plopped his down with a corner sticking off the desk's edge, and Kuna discreetly tried to straighten it as Shunsui asked, "Did you have to jump through any hoops to get these?"

"Captain Kurotsuchi is usually pretty free with records and files that aren't part of anything ongoing, so he had me take these over right away."

"Good, good." A thought came to Shunsui, and he asked, "Mister Kunahisa, you're free to go, but Miss Kuna, would you mind staying for a few minutes?"

"Oh! Uh, no, Captain-Commander." Bowing, Kunahisa turned and left, and Shunsui gestured for Kuna to take a seat, which she did.

Once the office door was shut, Shunsui said, "I have some quick questions to ask about Renji Fudo, and then I'll let you go. So, did you happen to know him?"

"For about ten years. I had just joined the division, and he was an unseated officer, at the time. I suppose you could say he was… a gentleman, and a scholar. He always seemed to be helping everyone with their training, even though he had projects of his own."

"He stayed busy?"

"Very."

"Do you know if he was part of any Quincy related projects?"

"Only one while I knew him, but…" Kuna gestured to the boxes, and adjusted her glasses. "If I remember correctly, the one we worked on was quincy developing a resistance to hollows."

Alarm bells going off in his head, Shunsui glanced over at Nanao before calmly asking, "And how did the experiments go? Any success?"

"None, sir. The subjects didn't respond well to the treatment, and he concluded they mainly survived due to their own endurance."

"Why do you think he was so concerned with quincy?" Asked Shunsui, leaning forwards to rest his elbow on the desk.

"I do remember asking him that during our experiments," Kuna answered, looking down at the file boxes. "There was a different kind of intensity to how he worked that I noticed. He said that they had caused too much pain to him and Soul Society, but nothing more. It had to have been more personal than that, though; maybe he had lost family, or squadmates he bad been close with."

Shunsui slowly nodded, then asked Kuna, "One more thing: did Mister Fudo ever spend time down at the academy?"

"Frequently. From what I knew, most of his personal projects involved the academy and working with students."

"Alright. Thanks again for bringing the files over, and hanging around for a little while. You're free to leave now, Miss Kuna."

"Thank you, Captain-Commander." Kuna stood and bowed, turning and leaving briskly.

Her mind going a mile a minute, Nanao leaned over and said, "It can't be that any of them are quincy. If they were out in the open, they would get found out before their first class was over."

"I think you're right," Shunsui agreed. "But hollows and immunity to them is where we need to look, I'm sure. Let's think about that while we comb through the files." Blowing the dust off the top of the closet box, Shunsui opened up the lid. All the folder tabs started with Q. _"Quincy Spiritual Power Composition, Quincy Spiritual Power Effects… looks like this is the Q S box,"_ Thought Shunsui. "Hold on, Nanao. I don't think it'll be in this one. Let's see if we can find the Q H and Q I folders." Nodding, Nanao gathered up the folders and stored them back in the box, setting it aside and opening the tops of two others. Shunsui stood and peered into one, seeing it spanned from Q B to Q F.

"G to L," Nanao said, pointing to the open box near her. _"Quincy Health Patterns, Quincy Health Screening, just a few more…"_ Thought Nanao. "Aha! Quincy Hollow Acid Reaction!"

"Check that one out for me. Another idea came to me that I want to check," Said Shunsui, looking back to the opened box near him. He scanned through the Q B section to the Q C section, and a folder marked "Quincy Conversion Therapy" stood out to him. The date of the top one seemed to indicate it was the most recent, having been filed at a time shortly before he was employed by the Shihoin. _"Phase A: spiritual immunity conditioning… five subjects with five control… acid administered in increasing doses… none of the subjects are named,"_ Shunsui thought as he read over the report. _"But of course they wouldn't be. He could lie and say they were expendable Rukongai residents instead of soul reapers, if he was asked. Wait, acid-"_

Nanao saw Shunsui hurriedly leafing through the reports before pulling one out, and sensed should should step over to his side of the desk to read it with him. "The same week…" Nanao whispered. "And that has a lot of resemblances to the immunization tests…"

"But these aren't quincy," Said Shunsui. "Take a look at the Phase B testing."

"Stabilization and Control… 'The control group as a whole showed no development, while the subjects who responded to the higher doses developed methods of control in addition to their already established parameter. Subject One:' ...And the test subjects sound like they had a student's level of proficiency…" Nanao turned to Shunsui, eyes wide with shock. "This is it, Captain!"

"There's just one problem: the person we need to question is already dead." Sighing Shunsui sat down in his desk chair. "Have any of the other three responded?"

"Only Kaguya Shimizu. She's been in Squad Nine since she graduated, working on the magazine."

"Bring her in as soon as you can. We're going to need to get her side of this."

C=={======

Making sure her disguise was on tight, she stepped into the meeting room. There was a group of Stealth Force members already assembled around the long rectangular conference table, people from each of the divisions. She'd heard of the recent meetings and decided she needed to investigate. She saw a man she recognized from the Punishment Force, Satoshi Hongo, glance around the room, then stand up.

"...Alright. I'm sure most of you in the Patrol Force and the Inner Court Guard already know, but for anyone else that doesn't: Rin Takanade has been pardoned and reinstated." There was a murmur of surprise and disgust around the room, and Satoshi had to quiet it. "On top of this, some of us have heard from Lady Yoshiko that she has very firm reasons to believe that Takanade in fact committed the murder, and that the Captain-Commander and the elder Kuchiki captain have abused their power and obstructed justice."

Kazue Sasaki, a veteran member of the Patrol Force, stood up and raised her voice. "It's also been passed along to me from some of my platoon that Lady Yoshiko advised- and they said this is a direct quote- that 'Takanade is a monster, and under no circumstances should she be engaged in my absence'. Do any of you have information to back that up?"

After a few uncertain moments of silence, a member of the Stealth Force's fourth division spoke up. "We were both in Squad One for a while. I wouldn't say she's a 'monster', but I do remember her saving the entire team the one mission we had together in the world of the living. It had been a standard hollow cleansing, a little dicey at times, but we took care of business, until two Gillian showed up. We hadn't seen any in person up until that point, and everyone panicked. Just when I would think someone was getting erased by a Cero, Takanade flashed in, and got them out of the way. The other hollows that swarmed out, it seemed like she was always in the right place whenever they got into someone's blind spot. She was just Flash Stepping around, always in motion until the other hollows were gone, and vice captain Sasakibe finally got there and took care of the Gillian."

"Hmm. Okay, so a Flash Step expert. Anything else?" Satoshi asked.

There was another short stretch of silence, and shifting her voice into a husky drawl, the disguised soul reaper asked, "I think the only other thing would be the murder itself, but even then she still wouldn't be the strongest soul reaper we've taken down. I'm sure a trio of us could handle her if we needed to."

"What about her soul cutter?" Asked a member of the Patrol Force. "It's a continuous release type, right? I can't remember anyone with a continuous release type that was just plain old vanilla 'strong'. I'm sure you all know about the last person to have one."

"And what about Lady Yoshiko?" Asked the disguised soul reaper. "Isn't it the kind of the same situation with her? Sure, she's from one of the four great noble houses and a seated officer, but she's only been promoted once." Looking around the room, she continued, "I know that that may not be a popular opinion, but remember we're here because there are things that aren't getting done."

"True," Satoshi said with a sigh, "But if we make a hit without being authorized by the captain, we have to be dead sure we can pull it off and that it needs to happen. And speaking of unauthorized hits, I got word that earlier today there were two more out in the first district: a random chef at a cafe, and the soul candy factory."

"Soul candy factory?" A member of the Detention Unit asked. "Do we not know who the target was?"

"No, I literally meant the factory itself. The assembly and storage area caught fire, and the blast took out most of the lab wing of the building." Satoshi took a solemn look around the room. "Unlike the Kuchiki murders, these two hits had a common cause of arson."

"I handled the report from the eyewitnesses of the cafe burning," Said a member of the Patrol Force. "And from how they described it, the Nobuo Kuchiki burning happened in almost the same way. So, it has to be that the same group is at work."

"But the soul candy factory hit affects everyone, not just the Kuchiki," Kazue pointed out. "So what greater plan are they acting on that they want the Kuchiki out of the way?"

A heavy quiet settled in the room, filling out several moments of silence. "...We'll just have to focus more on that later," The disguised Stealth Force member asked, leaning forwards in their chair to sit upright. "But right now, we have something where we know the squads are working around and outside the law. I propose we have a rotating team surveilling Takanade while she's away from her squad, and have a trio visit her tonight to shake her up a little."

"I'm seconding the surveillance team idea," Kazue said. "If Takanade is as well-connected as she apparently is, we need to keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn't go above the law again. But the shakedown seems a little risky," Said Kazue skeptically, looking over towards the disguised Stealth Force member.

"These meetings are risky; the captain would fire us all in a heartbeat if she found out. Look, I'll volunteer for it, so that's one. We only need two more." As she looked around the table, she saw a member of the Patrol Force raise his hand.

"I'm in," Juzo said. "I still have the floor plan from when I was on a house arrest shift over at her place." There was a brief pause before one of Satoshi's platoon members volunteered. "Let's meet at my place after we're done here to go over it."

"Any volunteers for the first surveillance shift?" Kazue asked. There were a handful of volunteers that hesitantly spoke up, and the air in the meeting room was somber as Kazue organized the surveillance team.

C=={======

Yoshiko unsheathed Sword of Gathering Flames, and prepared to sit down on the edge of her bed and begin her nightly sword meditation. "How would you like to die the next time you leave your house?" Yoshiko jumped about a foot in the air. She brought up Sword of Gathering Flames into a defensive position, looking around her bedroom.

"Who's there?! Show yourself!" _"I can't have imagined that,"_ Yoshiko thought. _"I physically heard them!"_

"I know what you did this morning," Said the voice. "No one else could have done it, just the same as no one else could do this."

"Who are you?!" Demanded Yoshiko, tendrils of panic now beginning to wrap around her spine.

"I am the voice of one among the silent who's tired of burning in the flames."

The distorted voice was coming from all around Yoshiko, and she scanned the places in her bedroom where someone could conceal themself. "Come out! This isn't kido of some sort; I know you're in here."

"I won't reveal myself for a warning. But if you ever again do anything like what you did this morning, Yoshiko- then you will see my face. And it will be the last thing you ever see."

"Paint the landscape with fire, Sword of Gathering Flames!" The burst of heat blew the pillows off her bed and papers of her desk, and soon after, her maid came running in from the adjacent room.

"Lady Yoshiko! What's going on?" The older woman flinched back against the heat, squinting her eyes. Her lady was breathing heavily, soul cutter drawn and at the ready, a distraught expression on her face. "Lady Yoshiko, you'll burn down your room!"

At that, Yoshiko glanced over and saw her maid, and sealed and sheathed Sword of Gathering Flames. She collapsed down onto the edge of her bed, and held her head in her hands. _"Why. Why does it never matter what I do…"_ She thought, trying to hold back her tears.


	8. Chapter 8

Mountain Bell held the mallet in her hand as she stood next to the ancient bell. Looking at Rin, she gently tapped the bell, which produced a series of light and sweet tones."You know I'm never comfortable with doing that," Rin said, looking away. Striking more firmly, Mountain Bell scowled at Rin. "Well, you can be right and I still wouldn't like it. There are always other things I could do first." Closing her eyes, Mountain Bell rang twice. "But that's what I'm afraid of. Not _being_ , but being known." Rin walked over to the edge of the mountain pavilion, gazing out to where the trees and boulders met the misty clouds. She heard Mountain Bell walking over, and felt a tap on her shoulder. Rin turned around to find her smiling very gently. Raising the mallet, Mountain Bell tapped Rin's forehead with it. "I'll try relaxing, but-" Mountain Bell lurched forwards, screaming loudly. Rin stumbled back off of the pavilion, and fell out of her dream.

It was night, a shaft of dim moonlight coming in through her window. Her spirit was still ringing from the scream, and as she looked to where Mountain Bell was released and leaning against her nightstand, she realized it was warning of a nearby spiritual energy it was resonating with. _"One in the house, two by the doors…"_ Rin thought as she silently got out of bed. _"Just inside the kitchen…"_ She stalked forwards, Mountain Bell at the ready, preparing the binding spell. _"Right behind the wall… there!"_ Aiming where she sensed the resonance, Rin focused and called out, "Restrain!" There was a small grunt of surprise, and Rin turned the corner into her kitchen.

Kneeling on her floor with their arms wrenched behind them was a masked member of the Punishment Force. Rin frowned, and leaned down to rip off their mask. It was a man with short, spiky dark hair, and a five o' clock shadow. "I'm only going to say this once: go back and tell her that your trio failed. Refuse and I'm taking all three of you straight to the underground prison."

With a calm and even look, Juzo remained silent. Her anger growing, Rin grabbed him by the collar and threw him straight through her back door. It splintered apart, and the other two members of the trio instantly appeared at Juzo's side as he rolled into the alley. Rin called for another Restrain, but the backups found themselves able to move. They dodged Rin's Flash Step in of to the side, but one of them suddenly discovered they couldn't move their arms, and were being forced down to their knees. Their eyes went wide as they realized what had happened, and faster than she could follow she was cracked right between her eyes with Mountain Bell's pommel, leaving her dazed.

The Stealth Force member that had called for the visit saw the opening, and Flash Stepped in for the reverse grip stab to Rin's back. She found her soul cutter blocked, and vanished away from the counter. She was able to sense the current forming to take Rin to her left, and adjusted for an incoming attack. Rin appeared to her right, almost startling her. "Slithering Rope!" The disguised Stealth Force member flashed away from the Way of Binding spell, only to find the crackling golden ropes redirected to her already restrained comrades. It wrapped them up tightly and brought them together, and Rin swung them towards her. She Flash Stepped out of the way, but Rin beat her to the spot, and she had to Flash Step away again.

 _"Consistently thinking ahead at this speed,"_ The Stealth Force member thought. _"I can see how they would have been a problem for the others."_ Deciding to briefly test Rin's swordsmanship, she lanced in and crossed blades, the two soul cutters producing what looked like a swarm of fireflies. They bounced across the alley, trading tight strikes and blocks in dense clusters.

Rin was starting to get a feeling for how Mountain Bell resonated with the remaining Punishment Force member. The slight familiarity was starting to bother her. Every burst of speed, exotic syncopation in her rhythm and unorthodox plane of attack was met effortlessly. _"Not vice captain Okikiba, not the Sternritter, maybe not even the captain are this fast!"_ Thought Rin. "Bound Lightning!" Rin could see the Punishment Force member brace for the shock as their blades crossed, and just as they met, she commanded, "Dissonance: Peal!"

Prepared for the Way of Destruction spell, the disguised Stealth Force member was caught off guard as the jarring and grating wave of sound rang through them, and took a hard stomp to their ribs. They crashed down into the pavement a stone's throw away from the others, rolling and then springing back with a flip just a hair before Mountain Bell pierced their Binding Chain. _"I think I've seen enough,"_ They thought, as Rin called out Slithering Rope and they Flash Stepped back to their allies. As soon as they touched them, however, the electric golden chains that bound the other two shot out and wrapped around them. _"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…"_ The disguised Stealth Force member swore loudly, and while they worked up the strength to muscle out of the binding spell, Rin Flash Stepped in and tore her mask off.

The shock momentarily took Rin's breath away. "How low..." Rin said, her voice shaking. "How low do you have to be to stoop to this level?"

"You're forgetting it's my job to go where others won't," Sui Feng said with a grunt as she snapped out of Slithering Ropes. With two swift and precise strikes, she knocked out her subordinates, and stood. "You can take these two to the prison like you planned on doing."

"What…?"

"I have a traitor in my squads, and you are being targeted by others under my command." Turning away and looking over her shoulder, Sui Feng said, "You said something that caught my interest, and I will be back this time tomorrow to discuss it with you. But you should know," She said, taking out a spare mask and pulling it on, "That if I have confirmation you actually murdered Renji Fudo, I will not hesitate in the slightest to eliminate you should we meet again." At that, Sui Feng vanished without even so much as a flicker.

C=={======

Rukia flipped the page of the Soul Society Monthly magazine. There was so much noise going around she just needed a moment, and had her feet kicked up on her desk as she leaned back to read. As usual, she first checked for her older brother's column, All About Etiquette. In recent years he'd started using reader questions for his articles, often bringing up old-fashioned or obscure points. "Hey Captain Kuchiki, long time reader, first time writer-" _"Ugh, one of those types,"_ Rukia thought as she read. _"'So here's the situation: there's someone on my combat team who transferred over from Squad Eleven, and she constantly has her soul cutter unsheathed, just carrying it around on her shoulder or just tucked into her uniform sash, but it's not even a continuous release type…' That's a cultural thing. They didn't do it out in Rukongai, either. Wow… angle, sheath care, placement… it's pretty clear he was sitting on this one for a while. Is he talking about sheaths or soul cutters here?"_ She smiled at seeing the Seaweed Ambassador in the illustrations, and turned the page. "'The Long-awaited Showdown! The rivals meet tomorrow at two o'clock at the Yamamoto Memorial Field!' I forgot Renji told me about that the other day…" _"Squad Six's team against Squad Two's. Hmm…"_ Thought Rukia. She soon realized the listless feeling wasn't stress from work, but something else altogether: hunger. She stood and tossed the Soul Society Monthly issue down onto her desk, and left to get a bite to eat.

It was a cool day, the late morning breeze clean and calming. Rukia Flash Stepped out to the gate, but took her time once she was in district one. There were a number of people who gave friendly waves when they recognized her captain's jacket, which she returned with a small smile before continuing on her way. There were a number of perks that became apparent once she'd become captain: free food, discounts on just about anything money could buy, getting into restaurants that normally had waiting lists of decades, and so on and so forth; but in general, Rukia never felt comfortable accepting such offers. The cafe she had in mind had never given her the royal treatment, though. It was on a busy street, the servers were usually rude and unresponsive, but their food was some of the best she'd ever had.

The memories of the succulent, savory meat caused her to subconsciously walk a little faster. The two-story houses looked clean, and the street freshly washed. As Rukia approached she couldn't help but notice the cafe was much less busy than normal. She knew it wasn't during rush hour, but was still curious. The door was closed instead of held open, though there were still some patrons visible inside. Stepping in, she was straight away spotted by one of the servers. "Oi! You again?"

"I come in almost every day, you know. It shouldn't be a surprise at this point." Rukia and the server were receiving stares from the other customers in the cafe, and she cleared her throat and asked, "I'll have a steamed pork bun, and tell Chef Daigo to make it extra spicy again."

"That first time was just to screw with you, you know that, right?" The waiter said. "And 'sides, the good chef was burned alive yesterday. We don't have anyone else that knows how to do the extra spicy mix right."

Rukia was stunned. "Burned alive? Was there an accident in the kitchen?"

"Nah, he just spontaneously combusted. A couple soul reapers tried to put him out with magic, but that didn't work." Rukia had to sit down in a nearby empty chair. For a brief moment, the waiter looked over at her sympathetically before heading back towards the kitchen. "Relax. The soul candy factory got blown up too, so it's not like Chef Daigo was killed specifically to mess with you."

Rukia slumped forwards, holding her head in her hands. _"I was running low on Chappy soul candies! It could be weeks, or even months before I get more…!"_ Thought Rukia. _"They're probably right, but I can't help but feel targeted. There are more than likely dozens of other people who come here and use soul candy frequently,"_ She thought with a sigh. _"But after my relatives were assassinated, this feels like it was aimed at me. At me, and no one else…"_

"Did you know Chef Daigo?" One of the other patrons asked hesitantly, looking over from his meal.

"I knew his pork buns," Answered Rukia. "It could only have been a daring man with a meticulous care that made them, someone with a healthy sense of humor." The others in the cafe nodded in agreement, and one of them started a toast, raising her cup.

"To Chef Daigo's pork buns."

"To Chef Daigo's pork buns!" Rukia leaned up to rest her arm on the round table, staring down at her lap. _"Someone is after me and the family. I think it's time we found out who, and started fighting back…"_

C=={======

A flawless performance would be needed. There had been close calls before, but this would be the make-or-break moment that could end everything if a misstep was made. _"Relax, Yoshiko. It's not emotion, it's ease and confidence. You can do this."_ She knocked thrice on the door, then slid it open and walked into Shunsui Kyoraku's office. She could see him look up from a list he was going over with his vice captains, and he smiled, and waved her over. "Sir," Yoshiko said with a quick bow as she reached his desk.

"Miss Shihoin! Good to see you again," Shunsui said, rising to shake Yoshiko's hand.

"Vice captains," Yoshiko said with a nod to Genshiro and Nanao.

Motioning for her to take a seat, Shunsui did the same. "Feeling better?"

"I'm still dealing with a lot of stress, Captain-Commander. I… felt I had to be stronger after the assassination. I was right there with Renji, and it could just as easily have been me. I took a few days off to train with my soul cutter, and it was exhausting and rough."

"I can see," Said Shunsui, noting the burn mark on Yoshiko's left cheek. "And how's the family been?"

"Things have been tense back at the estate," Yoshiko sighed. "Renji was a person we all loved. He had been my bodyguard when I was younger, and was always there. My family doesn't keep just anyone, so… I guess, it felt like he would always be around. He still kept in touch, even after taking a transfer over to Squad Seven."

"You two were close?"

"Yes. I was a little reckless when I was younger," Yoshiko admitted with a sheepish smile. "He was always pulling me back and teaching me the right way, like an older brother. It was after training with him I first unlocked my soul cutter's shikai." _"Comfort,"_ She remembered. _"I can't let him get me too at ease. That's exactly what he wants."_

"Would you think of him as a teacher?" Genshiro asked.

"Not a teacher, no," Answered Yoshiko, glancing over at Genshiro. "But he was always knowledgeable. Things about this or that kido spell, or the odd step method technique."

Nodding, Shunsui decided to change directions a bit. "Did you ever meet his family?"

"He had a younger sister he occasionally brought to formal functions. I never met the rest of his family, though. He told me once he had an older brother, but he and his parents had passed away."

"He wouldn't have mentioned how, would he?" Shunsui asked Yoshiko.

"No, he never did. I asked a few times, and he never gave me a straight answer."

"And what about his sister? What was she like?" Shunsui asked with a soft smile.

"From what I saw at the events, she was lively and talkative. We didn't get to chat much," Yoshiko said with a shrug.

"Now, I know it was most likely a private matter, but I have to ask: what were you and vice captain Fudo discussing at the time of his death?"

Yoshiko shifted slightly in her chair at Shunsui's question, but tried not to hesitate for too long. "My place in the family. Yushiro is still the official head, but... with him being crippled during the quincy invasion, grandfather has been… wanting a more _active_ head of the family. I've been filling in for Yushiro as our representative at most banquets the family is given a place at, and taking on some of his finance duties." Yoshiko lifted her gaze back up to Shunsui. "Renji thought it would be good for me to be officially recognized as the next head of the family. I didn't want to do that to Yushiro, and I'm just starting to get used to where I am within the clan."

"What are some of your family duties?" Asked Nanao, writing down a note on her pad.

"I used to be 'our future'. I was the one meeting with the heirs of the other noble houses, and I would plan small galas and other social events. But-" Yoshiko hesitated a second, and decided to continue the honest answer. "But I wanted to be more like my older sister, a captain of the squad and the Stealth Force. I was never quite girly enough for grandfather, and since the quincy invasion, he's had me organizing and attending even more luncheons and banquets."

"Hmm." Shunsui said, holding his chin. "Forgive me for getting into your business, but I think I can see where Renji was coming from. It sounds like you taking the role of acting head of the clan might give you a little more freedom." Yoshiko looked down at her lap in embarrassment, but Shunsui could only smile. "Your older sister used to be the same way. I remember all those wild and _highly_ appealing outfits she would wear to formal events, if she even attended. She always did things her way." Shunsui cleared his throat and asked, "Let's go back to the day of the murder. Did you notice anything odd about Mister Fudo?"

"No, nothing out of place at all, sir. He wore his uniform the same, he didn't seem distracted or worried; nothing was unusual in any way."

"And how were you that day?"

"A little tired; I had contacted Renji about attending a banquet my family was planning, and we met to discuss it in the tea garden under the cherry tree," Said Yoshiko. "I only had some squad paperwork to take care of other than that, and had planned to train with my soul cutter later in the day." Yoshiko saw Shunsui lean over to compare notes with Nanao, and hoped she had done well enough. She felt comfortable, and that she had told just enough truth to be believable. _"I don't know what they already know, but I didn't put anything dangerous out there. They shouldn't be able to follow the rabbit trail back with just that,"_ Yoshiko thought. _"I think there's just one more thing to do…"_

"She's coming in later," Yoshiko heard Shunsui say quietly before turning back to her. "Alright. Do you know of any connection vice captain Fudo might have had with the quincy?"

"None, as far as I know," Answered Yoshiko, confused.

"Any old experiments of his, perhaps?"

"He rarely talked about his old experiments around me. He might have mentioned a training method or two he tested, but he never really brought up his work from Squad Twelve. Maybe he helped with Kurotsuchi's old experiments? That's about the only thing I can come up with."

"Okay. Did he ever mention any of these people?" Shunsui slid over a paper, and on it was a list of dozens of names.

 _"Ise and Takande?"_ Yoshiko wondered. _"I don't know who any of these others are…"_ "I don't know these people, Captain-Commander," Said Yoshiko, handing the paper back. "And would you be able to tell me why Takanade's name was on the list? Was she in Squad Twelve?"

"Ah, no- Takanade was enlisted into Squad One right out of the Academy, and the connection between her and the vice captain is something we're still investigating," Shunsui answered.

Putting on a dark and pensive expression, Yoshiko looked away towards the office wall. "Why did you let her go, Captain-Commander?"

 _"I can't tell her everything, but she should at least know a little,"_ Shunsui thought as he looked at Yoshiko. "All the evidence says it's impossible. We've looked, but there's no motive for her to have killed the Renji Fudo you knew, either. I didn't want to let her go right away, but when Mister Kuchiki personally came by to have her reinstated, I knew it was time to set her free," He said with a small sigh. "Well, that's all for today. Thanks for making the time to come by, Miss Shihoin."

"You're welcome, Captain-Commander." The two stood, and after a quick bow, Yoshiko turned and exited the office.

"Her description of Fudo matches up with our profile," Genshiro said as the door closed.

"Guide and guardian, keeps his past secluded," Nanao said, nodding in agreement. "And what about her plans for the day?"

"I'd say that her duties in her family, as well with her squad and division of the Stealth Force, would keep her from planning something as bizarre as the Fudo murder. It also seems to me that she doesn't quite have the necessary maturity to organize the affair, either." Genshiro said. "A talk in a tea garden with a family friend would be a relief, I'd imagine."

An idea dinged! into Shunsui's head upon hearing the word affair. "I noticed her eyes caught on Miss Takanade's name when she read the list," He said. "Now, we know that they were close and that he was her bodyguard, but I can't shake my hunch that that just doesn't cover everything. So what connection between the two of them could there be that Miss Shihoin would want kept in the dark?"

"Family business?" Said Nanao after a few moments of silence. "I think she even said something like 'our family doesn't just keep anyone around'." Seeing the unsure looks on the faces of Genshiro and Shunsui, she continued, "Hear me out: she was discussing her family's expectations of her, and Renji Fudo knew enough of the issues that he had a position to take up. Why would she talk about something like familial pressure and duties with an outsider? He may have been in Squad Seven, but at the least Lady Yoshiko trusted him enough to share that with him, and it may be that her grandfather and the rest of the family trusted him in the same way, too."

"There are some major obstacles to getting into Shihoin family business, Nanao," Shunsui said. "I'm not saying I'm opposed to it, but we can't just very well waltz into their estate undetected and come back out with everything we need- they effectively control the Inner Court Guard, and two other divisions of the Stealth Force, and there's a good chance they already know almost everything we do about the situation. We need to be prepared to not find out anything else from them."

"Just an idea," Nanao said defensively. There was a knock on the door, and it slid open to reveal Kunihisa.

"Sir! Some correspondence for you."

"Good, bring it on in!" Kunihisa did so, laying it on the desk with a smile and nod before Shunsui gave him a friendly wave goodbye.

"Jin Ueshiba and Shinju Ise," Nanao said as she read the addresses. _"Wait, I recognize that handwriting!"_ She thought. "Sir, Shinju Ise- she's the one that sent the letter the other day."

"A relative?" Shunsui asked Nanao, as he handed the letter over to her.

"An older cousin, yes. She's been in the Kido Corps for all of my life, so we aren't very close to one another."

"Aww. You two should meet sometime, and talk." Nanao gave a noncommittal shrug, and Shunsui opened the letter.

"Captain-Commander Kyoraku,

At first I wasn't sure why you reached out to me,  
But as I thought over the other names of the people  
You mentioned, things fell into place. I was shocked,  
To say the least; it was one of those things that I  
Thought I had to accept as a reality of how this  
Place worked, and didn't think would ever come up  
Again. I will gladly give you everything you need to  
Put him away longer than Aizen, and cannot wait to  
Meet with you and go over things in person.

As for how I've been, I've been in Squad Four since  
The quincy extermination efforts…"

Shunsui read on in silence for a moment, touched by Jin's dedication to service. "I think that's just about it, isn't it?" He asked, looking between Nanao and Genshiro. "The experiment records, mission files, Takanade's and his testimony…"

"Not quite," Said Genshiro. "There's one last thing we need to do."

C=={======

The letter had been a surprise to Kaguya. Names she had not seen in centuries, there in front of her, bringing back memories as if no time had passed at all. The tears had been unexpected and fierce. She tried to fight through them and gather herself, and write back as quickly as she could.

 _"I've written, rewritten, and thrown this away more times than I can count,"_ Kaguya thought as she looked at the tote bag under her arm. _"I think it might finally be time…"_ The day was bright and sunny, and the air fresh. _"So Rin is still out there, but what about Akinari, and Shin and the others? This has to be on their minds now that Fudo is gone. And Rin… could she really have done it? I know she tried to break us out of the underground lab, but she wasn't a killer. At least, I thought she wasn't; I know that changed me, and who knows what's gone on with her since then…"_

The way was familiar to Kaguya, having been to Squad One's grounds frequently for her work on Soul Society Monthly. She found the office buildings as clean as always, the inside having a lively and professional air about it. A handful of people recognized her in the lobby, and she gave them a smile and wave as she headed down the hall to the Captain Commander's office. _"Pad, pen, article, I've got everything I need,"_ Kaguya assured herself. She took a deep breath, and moments later when she arrived at the office, knocked and waited.

Shunsui was in the middle of writing up a letter to the Fudo family when he heard Nanao open the door. In walked a tall(though not quite so tall as Rin, he noted) and willowy woman with platinum blonde hair down to her shoulders, the features of her heart-shaped face delicate; she wore the sleeveless uniform typical of her squad, and her arms were lean, with sinewy, corded muscle. Realizing he was staring, Shunsui quickly smiled. "Miss Shimizu! Thanks for dropping in."

"You're welcome. Vice captain Ise, how are you?"

"Very good, actually, thank you for asking." Kaguya smiled, and set her black tote bag down by the chair.

"So, you mentioned some of Fudo's experiments in the letter?" She asked, pulling her notepad and pen out of her bag as she took her seat.

"One thing led to another, and we ended up uncovering unsanctioned testing on academy students," Shunsui began. "You were part of a group that included included Miss Takanade, so we wanted to get your perspective on the experiments. Miss Takanade could only briefly speak about them and she mentioned hollow acid. What exactly was the purpose of that test?"

"To break us down," Kaguya said. "On one level, it was torture. We were just students, and had no idea what was going on. It kept us quiet and submissive. As for the other kind of breaking, it was to wear down our bodies' immune responses to hollows."

"To get you to a state closer to that of a quincy?" Asked Nanao.

Kaguya nodded. "Fudo used spaced out lower doses of acid on Akinari and Shinju. It ate them alive, and they got worse and worse. The higher doses put me clean out, and I only woke up to their screams. And in between doses, he would put us through the exercises."

"Exercises?" Shunsui asked, eyebrow raised.

"The basics of quincy combat, like forming a bow or other spirit weapon, and also Blut. All of us except for Shinju struggled with it, because it was such an alien concept at the time, gathering spirit particles from the surrounding area."

"How long did the testing and exercises go on for?"

"We were dosed for five days," Kaguya said, frowning slightly as she recalled the struggle on day five. "Rin tried to attack Fudo and break us out on the fifth day, but we were too weak and Fudo took us out one by one, and separated us into different rooms. After that, I was still tested for control of quincy techniques on the last two days. I never saw any of the others after that, so we must have been released individually."

"Rin led the escape attempt?" Asked Shunsui, incredulous. "Mister Onabara told me Soul Burials used to make her cry."

Kaguya laughed at hearing that, but quickly tried to mask it by clearing her throat. "Uh, yes, she led the escape attempt. We were going through the spirit weapon exercises, and she'd formed what looked like a bow, but it was actually a sword. She tried to slash him with him as he stood next to her to correct her form, and she managed a shallow cut to his shoulder; maybe she could've done something if she was in good condition, but she just didn't have it in her. I saw Shinju and Akinari try to attack him, too. Jin and I tried to run while he was distracted, but…" Kaguya shrugged. "He caught us." She glanced down at the notepad on her lap and held her pen at the ready. "Now, a few moments ago you mentioned you hadn't set out to uncover the experiments. What led you to that?"

Nanao took notice of Kaguya's attentiveness as Shunsui recapped the investigation, and the easy charm she displayed as she directed the questions. "When is the article coming out?" She asked, as Shunsui got back to interviewing Yoshiko earlier in the day.

Reaching into her tote bag on the floor, Kaguya took out the article and tossed it onto Shunsui's desk. "As soon as I can work it into that," She said. Swallowing, she continued, "I've… been writing and revising and editing that article for almost as long as I've been in Squad Nine. But I think it's time now, I think it's time for that to become a part of history, so everyone can move on."

Shunsui looked down at the first few lines. _"'Imagine, for a moment, you're at the top of your class at the Soul Reaper Academy: full of youth, and with a bright future ahead of you…' this is their story,"_ Thought Shunsui. "...You might want to hold on to it for a little while longer," He said, handing the article back to Kaguya. Searching through the papers on his desk, he found the list Genshiro had helped compile at the academy the previous day, and laid it on the desk in front of Kaguya.

"May I take a copy of this, Captain-Commander?" Kaguya asked quietly, eyes going back and forth over the list.

"Nanao already has one stashed away somewhere, so sure. Go ahead and take that one there." Kaguya's eyes met his to make sure it was okay, then put it on top of her article and both of those back into her tote bag. "I can tell you that Miss Takanade is doing well. She's over in Squad Six now, and I know her captain's got a lot of trust in her." Kaguya nodded, and Shunsui continued, "We just heard back from Mister Ueshiba earlier this morning, and Miss Ise is still around, too- she was the one who suggested we reach out to the others in your group." Shunsui smiled. "I think she'd really like to hear from you guys."

"That's good to know. Very good to know," Said Kaguya, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, then opening them and smiling.


	9. Chapter 9

Rin popped up from the ground, arms pinned tight inside the narrow tunnel. She looked around frantically, and saw Mountain Bell quickly dashing in. Just the twin blades were about to connect with her face she squeezed herself back down the tunnel, wriggling around and popping up through another one. Upon surfacing again, she received a debilitating blow to the head with the flat of Mountain Bell's twin blades. Leaning down and grinning, Mountain Bell blew a loud raspberry in her face.

"I _told_ you she was going to pop up there!" Shinju said laughing, high fiving Mountain Bell, despite Mountain Bell being even taller than Rin. She tried to worm her way out of the tunnel, but instead shook herself awake, finding herself tangled up in her sheets. Rin took a handful of seconds to slow her breathing and calm down, seeing that her room was still dark save for a faint sliver of moonlight peeking in through her curtains. The digital clock on her nightstand revealed it was after midnight and in the early morning. _"Wait, she said she would be coming back, didn't she?"_ Rin thought as she sat up and stretched, and got out of bed and put on her slippers.

Her heart warmed slightly at seeing Shinju asleep on the couch. She had come over every day since they first reunited, and after their conversation had grown longer and longer, it was agreed she would stay the night again. Rin smiled, and trying to stay silent, tiptoed through the kitchen and opened her back door. The night air was cool, the alley very dimly lit by the moon. It appeared empty though Rin could sense a nearby resonance through Mountain Bell; but, she heard a soft tap on the pavement behind her, and knew she had arrived.

Sui Feng gave Rin's pajama pants and kickball jersey a critical eye before speaking. "'Go back and tell her your trio failed'. I'm assuming you had someone in mind when you said that?"

Rin looked over her shoulder, then turned towards Sui Feng and folded her arms, leaning against the back of her house. "I did, Captain Feng. Was it you?"

"I don't appreciate that insinuation, though as I said, if I am given the order I won't be hesitant to eliminate you. And no, it was not me. The question: who was it?"

"A member of your squad and of the Punishment Force," Answered Rin, glaring at Sui Feng before lowering her gaze to the ground. "You said you had a traitor in your squad, and I think we're both talking about the same person."

"This is something I take very seriously, Takanade," Said Sui Feng, walking closer. "So I need you to tell me who it is."

"...It's a certain female."

"Definitely female?" Rin nodded. _"Well, at least that narrows it down by about half,"_ Sui Feng thought sourly. "And what makes you say we may be referring to the same traitor?"

"We fought a few days ago, and their soul cutter was fiery and powerful. They said something about bringing balance, and it was directed towards the Kuchiki family."

Sui Feng sighed in exasperation. _"Fiery and powerful isn't helpful, fire is the most common elemental sub-type of soul cutter."_ She thought. "That's not specific enough; I need more." Rin remained silent. "Takanade…"

"We… have each other in a difficult situation, Captain Feng. Revealing her identity would expose me, just as revealing how I had to defeat them would expose her."

 _"How she had to…"_ Thought Sui Feng, her mind racing. "Very well. Now, Takanade- Rin, isn't it?- this is something I'm not in the habit of doing, so this is the only time you'll receive the offer: unless the method you used to defeat the traitor is illegal, you will have my protection if you tell me their identity."

Rin glanced down at Sui Feng, the ferocious intensity in the woman's eyes briefly igniting a burning feeling deep within her chest. She quickly looked away. "A-ask the Captain-Commander how I killed Renji Fudo."

"So you did it the same way? That doesn't tell me anything, Takanade, as he literally stated it was impossible for you to have killed Fudo." Sui Feng stepped closer, her stare steady and unwavering. "Or was it? Maybe there was something illegal you did to commit the murder-"

"I didn't do anything illegal!" Rin shouted, forgetting to keep her voice quiet. The last word echoed around the alley for a moment. "At least, not to defeat the traitor."

Sui Feng sighed again. "The offer is withdrawn, as it makes things difficult if I can't pinpoint where the corruption is." She turned to leave, but Rin grabbed her shoulder.

"Wait!" Feeling Sui Feng's stare pierce into her hand, Rin let go as the captain turned around. "I'll tell you how I stopped her."

"Go on," Sui Feng said with a nod.

Taking a breath, Rin paused before speaking, feeling jittery. "Two quincy techniques: I used Blut Vene to defend against their bankai, and I did so while in my-"

"Bankai?" _"I'd say it's impossible for a soul reaper to have quincy powers, but…"_ Thought Sui Feng.

"It surprised me too, Captain Feng. I never would have guessed their soul cutter was so powerful."

"Bankai isn't something you can just do, even if you know how," Sui Feng said. "It requires a certain amount of discipline and strength."

"Then they definitely had it," Said Rin. "It wasn't any kind of illusion that I was facing." Sui Feng frowned, looking aside down the alley.

"...The offer is still withdrawn, but there's another trio in the area, keeping you under surveillance. I incapacitated them, and one of them is female." Sui Feng took a small piece of paper from inside her Punishment Force uniform and handed it to Rin. "She's down at the end of the block, and you have my permission to take her and the note to the underground prison." Abruptly turning, Sui Feng left with a Flash Step.

Rin brought the note up to her face to read, and winced slightly at the strongly worded and harsh recommendations for the "traitor" written on it. _"I better pick her up and go on over,"_ Thought Rin. _"And I hope they don't get used to seeing me in my P J's over at the prison…"_

C=={======

Renji Abarai swung his leg back and forth, loosening up and practicing his kicking form. There was already a crowd in the stands, and Rin was going over the lineup with the others in the dugout. _"This ought to be good for her,"_ He thought. _"Just get away from all the noise, and kick some balls."_ Switching to his other leg, Renji finished his stretches and headed back into the dugout.

"Hey cap'n!" Said Rikichi. "We don't have you down for a spot in the kicking rotation yet."

"I was thinking just ahead of Hirotomo," Rin said.

"Whaddaya got so far?" Renji said with a grin.

"Well, we have Rin up first," Said Setsuka Hirano, Squad Six's fourth seat. She leaned against the dugout fence and pointed to the list as she continued, "Then we have Tsuru and Rikichi. What we couldn't decide on was putting me ahead of you or as the anchor."

"We'll have speed at the top," Said Tsuru Naguchi, the thirteenth seat of Squad Six. "So I think if we have a consistent cycle going in the order that would help things," She said, flipping her auburn braid over her shoulder.

"So you're thinking of having Setsuka just ahead of me?" Renji asked. Tsuru nodded, and Hirotomo spoke up.

"Squad Two's team has a lot of speed. We're going to need to be able to counter that and get back in the game fast," He said, rubbing his chin. Renji nodded in agreement.

"Now that I think about it, yeah, let's go with that."

"And you could do one of your curveballs to get anyone on base into good position," Rin added.

"Alrighty then. Rin, Tsuru, Rikichi, Setsuka, me, and Hirotomo is up last. That good?" The team nodded, and Rin cast her eyes over to Squad Two's dugout.

 _"Why did I expect to see her?"_ Rin thought. _"The Shihoin would never have anything to do with something like kickball. But maybe their fourth seat knows what's going on. A trio watching my house… someone over in the Stealth Force besides her knows what she knows, and is making plans independently. Telling their captain… I have a strong feeling that's going to come back to haunt me."_

"Didn't know you had a thing for shorter guys," Setsuka said with a wink.

Rin tried not to roll her eyes, and looked beside her at Setsuka, who was grinning. "I'm just surprised to see him here," Said Rin. "It's been about two or three years since their fourth seat's been able to make it to a game, right?"

"Huh. It has been a while, hasn't it…" Wondered Setsuka, running a hand through her short fauxhawk as she stole a glance at Squad Two's fourth seat. The man was something of an urban legend for his non-descript looks, many people claiming his underwhelming physical presence was due to him using a body double for public appearances. "Oh! He just turned this way!" Setsuka whispered excitedly, nudging Rin with her elbow. Rin gave a small smile, which the fourth seat returned as he maintained eye contact and picked his nose. "Seriously?!"

"Don't let him get in your head," Rin whispered to Setsuka. She masked her chuckle by turning and coughing into her shoulder, and caught Renji check the clock on the dugout wall as he talked to Hirotomo.

"Hold on- it's about time for the coin toss, let's head on out there!" He called. The two teams met at the pitcher's mound, Squad Two's team doing their best to strike an intimidating pose as the home umpire, Captain Iba from Squad Seven, walked up.

"A good day for a kickball game! I want a hard, clean match between you guys, alright?" Squad Two politely nodded. "The No Flash rule is in effect for this game, and I'm going to be watching you all closely to make sure you keep to it. Are we clear?"

"Yes sir," Hirotomo said.

"Captain Abarai, call it in the air." Tetsuzaemon pulled out a coin from his uniform, and flipped it.

 _"How long is that going to hang in the air?"_ Tsuru thought. _"...Three, four, five…"_

"Heads!"

With a shout, Tetsuzaemon took up a fighting stance, pointing at the ground. The coin shot down and made a small crater at the spot. Renji leaned down to get a look, but was shooed away as Tetsuzaemon took out his plate brush and dusted off the coin. "Heads it is! Kick or field?"

"Kick," Renji answered, almost before Tetsuzaemon was finished speaking. _"We're gonna need to load up on points early and get as many people on base as we can,"_ He thought. _"And why is she going for a fist bump with their fourth seat instead of a handshake? I'd thought she was kinda old-fashioned."_ Keeping his grip very firm, Renji shook the ninth seat of Squad Two's hand and led the rest of his team to the dugout.

Rin watched the Squad Two field take shape: their fourth seat was playing deep in center, while the left and right fielders were playing close up on the bases of their respective sides. Their catcher was a young woman with squinty eyes and a beauty mark on her right cheek, the dark orange of her squad's jersey suiting her well. Rin gave her a curt nod, then tested out the dirt at home plate. _"Loose, shallow layer. Perfect."_ Tetsuzaemon gave the call to start play, and Rin shifted into her ready stance at the back left section of the box.

The first pitch came in fast, with a shallow curve across the box to Rin's right. _"Arch. Cut it off,"_ Thought Rin as her right foot sprang into motion. The connection was solid, but only on the ball of her foot. The red rubber ball veered sharply outside the foul line, impacting the fence downfield hard enough for the rattle to be heard in Squad Six's dugout across the field. _"Wait, that's Amane they have pitching,"_ Thought Rin as she recognized the youthful woman's high cheekbones and broad shoulders. _"She does that sharp breaking roll, usually at the top. Keep my position…"_ Taking a breath and settling down in the corner of the box, Rin kept her eyes on the ball as Amane rolled it. It was a shallow throw that just barely got on the ground before the foul line. One bounce, and then time seemed to slow for Rin as she spotted the moment where the sideways spin overtook its forward momentum. The instep of her right foot met it head on, and she leaned back to lever all the strength into the kick she could.

"We'll sign that deflated ball for you after the game, Amane!" Setsuka shouted. Rin glanced back at her with a faint smile, and shifted her gaze back to the base line as she jogged around the diamond. She could physically feel the stares of Squad Six's team on her as she rounded the bases, sticking into her back and shoulders and a spot on her glutes she definitely did not appreciate their fourth seat staring at to simply mess with her. Tsuru was waiting with a grin, and they high-fived as Rin cross home plate.

 _"I didn't know I needed that,"_ Rin thought, smiling as she came back into the dugout. She took a seat next to Setsuka to see Tsuru's time at the plate. "You can do it, Tsuru! Just watch for the curve!" Tsuru acknowledge the advice with a thumbs up back to her.

Amane's first roll went well wide of the box. _"Was she trying to curve that one in?"_ Tsuru wondered, as Squad Two's catcher threw the ball back. The suspicion was confirmed on the next roll, which still started out wide, but had a much stronger curve. Tsuru was able to get her foot on it, a line drive to left center field. _"He's almost there!"_ Tsuru dove for first base, arriving just ahead of the fourth seat making it to the ball.

"Safe!" Tetsuzaemon called.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Tsuru dusted off the front of her cobalt blue jersey and shook out her braid and tossed it over her shoulder. _"Rikichi's up next. Is he going to bunt, or…?"_ Amane's first roll proved to be a shallow curve much like the ones she'd rolled to Rin. Rikichi was ready, but his kick sent the ball sharply across the baseline for a foul. Carefully edging away from the plate, Tsuru awaited Rikichi's next kick.

C=={======

Zenzo stood up, ending his sword meditation. He'd been training alone today, some of his squadmates going to the kickball game out at the Yamamoto Memorial Field, and others off training in their own groups. Refreshed, he stood and stretched, ready to move through his exercises with Snowy Peak.

 _"Most people wouldn't expect you to work up a sweat from just practicing the forms,"_ Zenzo thought with a wry smile. _"But you need to get a firm grasp of the fundamentals."_ He made sure to keep his grip and posture correct. Zenzo smiled again as he wiped sweat off his brow; most assumed Snowy Peak was an ice type soul cutter when they heard its name. Moments after resuming his practice, though, Zenzo paused as he realized it was warmer out than normal…

C=={======

"Three to one," Rin quietly said to herself as she checked the scoreboard. Squad Two's fourth seat had just managed to get away with stealing home, and they had Haruaki, their ace kicker, waiting on deck. Amane was back up to kick, and Renji signaled for her and Setsuka to close in. Rikichi stood by at third base, nodding to Renji he was ready. Renji's roll was hard and fast, bouncing off the foul line and curving down and away from Amane. Her kick grazed across the bottom of the ball, sending it up and behind her. Hirotomo sprang up from his crouch and pedaled back, zeroing in on the ball before jumping to bring it out of the air. "Nice one, guys!" Shouted Rin, clapping.

 _"Two down, and Haruaki's up. I can smell the bunt coming,"_ Renji thought. _"Natsuki's on second, so it's time for a walk."_ The first roll was really just a lofty toss to just outside the corner of the kicking box. Haruaki eyed it carefully before relaxing, turning to face Renji.

"Man up and pitch, Abarai! Or are you just too scared?" Haruaki taunted.

Renji feigned a yawn, and threw the ball straight at Haruaki. He deflected the throw with his forearm, glaring. Ignoring the glare, Renji scratched his nose as Hirotomo lobbed the ball back. His next roll was gentle, without enough power to even cross the foul line. Squad Two's team started booing, and some of the crowd joined in. Rin could see the grin on Renji's face as he turned to the outfield and loosened up his shoulders for a moment, catching the ball over his shoulder with one hand when Hirotomo whistled and threw it back. Renji squinted as he leaned forwards to carefully analyze Haruaki's stance. He nodded, and then rolled the ball to just outside the corner of the kicking box, where Haruaki couldn't reach it from inside. Tetsuzaemon signaled the walk, and Haruaki flipped off Renji as he jogged over to first base.

As soon as Renji saw Squad Two's next kicker, Taeko, get settled in the box, he threw a hard backspin roll that bounced just ahead of the foul line, losing most of its momentum. _"Dang it, she didn't swing!"_ "Rin!"

Rin rushed up to the infield, arriving just as the ball lazily rolled into the box and Taeko kicked a hard ground ball over towards Rikichi. He hadn't been prepared for it, and it went a short ways past him before he sprinted and fielded it and threw it over to Rin. She heaved a sigh, seeing that Natsuki hadn't tried to make a break for home plate, and that the bases were loaded. A growing uneasy feeling settled on her shoulders. _"Haruaki's their best kicker, but Akira has the strongest leg on their team, and he's up next…"_

C=={======

The heat was definitely unnatural. Zenzo stepped into the clearing of Squad Eleven's training park, and the heat didn't intensify with the sunlight; he sensed someone nearby, but their presence was all around. _"This isn't one of the team. This is someone else, and they're out for blood. Alright!"_ "In the winter air, tower over the land, and rumble, Snowy Peak!" Snowy Peak's blade straightened and widened in a burst of frosty sparkles, lengthening into a double-edged sword. Its strength flowed through him, carrying away his unease. "Me or the captain, your choice!" As he finished speaking they appeared, Flash Stepping down into the clearing across from him. They were a woman, stray locks of long blond hair sticking out from under their mask; the hamon of their soul cutter wavering like fire as heat shimmered around the blade. "Seems as if you're set on a bit more than a practice duel."

"Oh, this is a practice duel," The woman said, speaking in an obviously lower than normal register.

"I beg your pardon?"

"From the beginning your family was always second class, naively wrapping yourselves up in the trappings of wealth and royalty when you were never either."

"I don't know who the Hell you think you are," Zenzo said, narrowing his gaze on the woman, "But my family has more than earned its place in the Court of Pure Souls-"

"It wasn't even fifteen years ago when one of you- who is now somehow a captain, I might add- broke one of the most ancient laws of Soul Society. We've only recovered in the last few years from the chain of events that started. And what about Koga, so dangerous he had to be sealed away? Explain to me how that equates to your family earning its place here."

"We've moved beyond Koga's mistakes, and Rukia has done everything she can to bring honor to the family!"

"That's not a sign of nobility on her part. She's just a sad orphan who still doesn't feel like she fully belongs." The woman expanded her spiritual pressure, the heat amplified and even more withering. "And she doesn't. It's time the cancer that is your family was removed from this place. You aren't the first, Zenzo Kuchiki, and you won't be the last."

C=={======

Rin stepped up to the plate. Amane looked unconcerned, and held up her hand to signal something to their fourth seat in the outfield. Her roll came in slow, right down the middle of the box. _"That'll make it in. Are they trying to give us a run here, or what?"_ Rin swung and kicked the ball as hard as she could, the form and force of the strike feeling solid. She was part of the way to first base when she heard Tetsuzaemon make the call.

"That's a Flash Step! One base!" She heard her teammates objecting, and she looked and saw Squad Two's fourth seat casually toss Amane the ball from where he stood high above the field.

 _"They're up by two, and Renji's only on second! What are they trying to do here?"_ Rin thought.

"You aren't getting more than that first one, murderous whore." Haruaki said to her as she arrived at first. Rin's anger briefly burst out before she could control it, fracturing the ground around first with a discordant noise.

"I won't need to, because we have the better team," Answered Rin. She turned away and watched Tsuru step into the box. _"I know part of it is what he just said, but something doesn't feel right and I can't quite put my finger on it…"_

C=={======

The slash cut through the tree, the stump and trunk bursting into flame. Zenzo stirred up the fine ash the now lined the training park's floor as he landed. "You won't be getting away with this! You may outmaneuver me here, fine. But like you said, I won't be the last! The captain and the rest of my squad will find you, and if you somehow get away, then my family will be coming for you! You won't escape!" Zenzo lunged forwards again, focusing Snowy Peak's power into its edge as he swung. Even the glancing deflection his masked opponent managed was enough to buckle the ground beneath them. His follow-up kick was anticipated and checked, the woman settling down into a wide stance and uncorking a powerful horizontal slash. Zenzo Flash Stepped back, escaping the heat for a split second before it refocused on him.

"Pale Fire Crash!" The call shocked both Zenzo and his attacker. Squad Eleven focused exclusively on melee combat, and while there were a handful of them known for their kido skills, those abilities were mainly used for defense. A second wave of the pale blue flames rolled in, someone streaking in right behind it to disguise their movement. Snapping out of his surprise, Zenzo raced around to the other side of the blaze to cut off his attacker's escape. He found the heat of Pale Fire Crash had been adsorbed by the mystery enemy's soul cutter, causing him to flinch back slightly before raising Snowy Peak to attack. The woman spun away from his squadmate's downward slash, and he leaned in for a diagonal slash upwards. It too was blocked, the force of the swing sending shockwaves through the inferno surrounding them.

"This is over _now_ , scum!"

"Itsumi! Does anyone else know you're here?!" Asked Zenzo.

"I was turning my report in to Tamina when I decided to come over!" She said, beads of sweat already forming and running down her strong jaw. As Itsumi finished the masked woman rocketed forwards through the flames, driving her back with a swift barrage of cuts and slashes. Itsumi looked resolute, but Zenzo knew what would happen if he didn't step in before long. He gave a loud battle cry and as he felt Snowy Peak make contact with their side they vanished out of reach again.

"It was a risk to draw this out," The masked woman said. "I'll admit you gave me more trouble than I was expecting, but I wanted you to understand how hopeless this is for you, and how far the Kuchiki are beneath what's coming."

"You want to know something?" Itsumi asked her. "I don't really give a _damn_ about Zenzo's family. He works just as hard as the rest of us, because we're just as much his family as the Kuchiki are!"

"Three strikes, and you're out," Said the masked woman. She held her soul cutter up, poised to attack, and commanded, "Finishing Stroke!" Right away the fires in the training park died down, their heat diminished to natural levels, and the blade of her soul cutter glowed white hot. When Zenzo looked over to warn Itsumi she Flash Stepped in, the bisecting wound cauterizing itself as Itsumi's uniform burst into flames. Zenzo wasn't quite fast enough to avoid the follow-through slash, the concentrated heat overwhelming Snowy Peak's power and burning through his skin. His teeth rattling, Zenzo raised Snowy Peak and charged the masked woman one last time.

C=={======

"Go! Go! Go!" Rin stood by home plate, waving Tsuru in. Rikichi had just rounded second base, and Setsuka was on her way to first as her kick was fielded deep in the outfield. Squad Two's fourth seat threw in a very fast ball to third, and Tsuru crossed home plate. "Yes!" Rin pulled Tsuru into a hug, spinning around. She held her breath as Rikichi sprinted for third, diving and sliding in a small moment before Natsuki caught it. "YES!" Cheered Rin, pumping her fist.

"We're back in the lead," Tsuru said with a smile as she and Rin returned to the dugout.

"Wasn't sure it would happen, if the last cycle was any indication." Renji held out his hand for a fist bump, which Rin and Tsuru gave him. Though the feeling had lifted with the elation of the lead change, Rin once again felt an unease and vague anger settling in on her. She picked up Mountain Bell from where it rested against the fence to lean on it as she sat on the bench. The feeling at once sharpened into focus, the anger swelling into a leaden burning feeling in her chest.

"Rin?" Tsuru asked as Renji left to kick.

"Um, really bad bathroom emergency," Rin stammered. _"Terrible lie, but the best I can manage on such short notice,"_ Rin thought. She power walked out of the back of the dugout before she could be further questioned.

"When it hits you, it hits you," Hirotomo said with a shrug.

Setsuka took a little bit of a lead off base, and scowled as Amane's first roll went well wide of the box. "Really?" She asked, looking aside at Haruaki. Turning back to the pitcher's mound, she taunted, "Keep rolling like a sub, Amane! You know who your master is!" Amane's follow through suffered a bit as she looked back towards Setsuka, and instead of going off target, the slow roll went straight to Renji. Setsuka immediately sprinted for second base as it crossed the foul line.

"Pff! The kick's foul, so come on back!" Haruaki said, relaxing as Renji's kick angled out of bounds.

"Third and home!" Renji called as he charged towards first base. It happened late, but the long kick finally began to curve back in, and Squad Two's fourth seat had only just realized and begun to move for it when it landed in right field. Stopping at first with a large grin, Renji watched as the throw came in and Setsuka made it to third.

"Good hustle, man," Hirotomo said to Rikichi as he stepped out to kick.

"Thanks." Hirotomo gave him a slap on the back, and Rikichi took a seat next to Tsuru to watch Hirotomo.

"You hear that?"

"Hmm?" Rikichi focused his hearing, and could faintly pick up something behind the crowd's noise. "Kinda, but it's hard to make it out."

"I've only heard that when Rin gets seriously angry," Tsuru explained, turning to Rikichi. "It's that thing between a pipe organ and a mob. Listen."

"...It's hard to make out, Tsuru. I can barely hear it over the crowd. And what do you mean about it being related to Rin getting mad?"

"Well, the last time was during the quincy invasion, and before that it was another twenty years or so, about right after you came in. And that time…" Tsuru shook her head. "This isn't just 'bathroom emergency' bad. We're going to have to ask her about it when she comes back."

"Which I hope is soon, because she's up to kick next. If she breaks the rotation and gets suspended this late in the season, we might miss the playoffs."

C=={======

The embers and ash swirled around Rin as she arrived. The air shimmered with heat and a tormented wailing, Mountain Bell's red gems glowing brightly as Rin stared down the masked woman.

"...So it was you."

"I keep my promises," Answered Rin. "I swore to myself I would destroy the evil that abused me as an academy student, and I did. I told you I would put an end to you if you killed again, and here we are." Rin frowned deeply. "You may not believe this, but I don't _want_ to be a murderer. If it means stopping gutter trash like you, though, I think I may just be able to live with it."

"What makes you think you'll succeed?" Yoshiko asked. "I wasn't prepared the first time we fought. Now, I know what you're capable of. I won't be making the same mistakes."

"Neither will I." Yoshiko watched Rin bring up Mountain Bell and begin to channel energy through it, but her watch was broken by sensing an enormous spiritual pressure approaching. Almost choking, she Flash Stepped away at full speed while Rin was focused on her transformation. "Come back-"

"You're making an awful lot of noise for a visitor." A chill went down Rin's spine as the heavy hand rested on her shoulder, and her eyes went wide with fear as she turned and saw Kenpachi Zaraki glaring down at her. To his side was a woman with a turtle shell buckler, wearing a white headband over her shaggy boy cut hair and a sour expression.

"Care to explain how two of our squad members wound up dead?" The woman asked.

"This isn't what it looks like!" Rin said, hurriedly sticking Mountain Bell into the ground and backing away from it with her hands up. Now that the adrenaline surge had receded, she saw the dismembered body of one soul reaper and another lying face down in the ash. "I had nothing to do with this, I swear!" Said Rin, her voice shaking.

"Then who did?!" Screamed the woman with the turtle shell buckler, walking over and getting in Rin's face. "You tell me _right now_ or I will kill you where you stand!"

"Calm down, Tamina." Kenpachi said. "And 'sides, this is my squad. If she doesn't cooperate here she answers to me."

"I- I…" _"What do I do? I need to say something, but if I tell them it was Yoshiko…"_ Thought Rin, panicking. "...They're targeting the Kuchiki. I've heard they went after others, and today they came after your subordinate."

"Well, that's a start. I've heard tell of the Rukongai assassinations," Kenpachi said. "But I'm gonna need more."

"What squad are they in? Their name, soul cutter, whatever you have on them." Tamina ordered.

"Ask… ask Captain Feng."

Kenpachi sighed. "You may not know this, Takanade, but it's kind of a pain in the ass to trade paperwork with that woman, and you only can get a hold of her at captain's meetings. I'll keep it in mind but for right now I'm counting that as an excuse and not an answer."

"What's their name?" Tamina asked. "If Captain Feng knows them too we could cut down on a lot of the busywork."

"I promise you, she knows about her- we spoke about them recently- she's from Squad Two."

"You sure about that." Kenpachi asked, eyeing Rin skeptically.

"Very sure, Captain Zaraki."

"Alright. Tamina, put it out and tidy things a bit. I'm gonna take her back to the office so the boys can keep an eye on her while we get started on hitting up the other captains."

"Yes sir!" Rin heard a hissing sound as Kenpachi plucked Mountain Bell out of the ground and led her away, her spirit sinking.

C=={======

"This is kind of odd, isn't it?" Yoshiko asked.

"Definitely," Said Manami, tucking her hair behind her ear. "The only other 'emergency mandatory meeting' I can think of is that one time Sato found her private stash of captain Shihoin pictures. And I don't care what happened to him or what anyone else says, that alone makes him one of the greatest talents this squad has ever produced." The two shared a chuckle over the infamous meeting that soon afterwards was officially declared to have never happened.

They came into the squad's main courtyard, and were surprised to see there were already dozens of people there. _"Stealth Force, too?"_ Thought Yoshiko, a small drop of worry rolling down her spine. "Speaking of Sato, where are all the guys?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah you're right. There's only women here." Manami noted. "Extra odd," She added slowly. She glanced up to the steps to the main office, where Sui Feng stood holding a binder. Seeing her and Yoshiko come in, she marked two items off quickly. "And she's taking attendance. I don't think I like where this is going." Yoshiko waited uneasily as a last few people showed up and Sui Feng checked her watch before tossing the binder down. The look on her face wasn't her usual cool disregard, but genuine outrage and fury.

"I believe autonomy and independence help to build up a soldier's character," She began. "As it has recently come to my attention, some of you here have taken it upon yourselves to act on my behalf without my consent or knowledge. Such a thing would, under a number of circumstances, be a valuable course of action. Under most others it would not, and today is one of those times." Sui Feng paused to glare at the women in the courtyard, and began to pace back and forth. "Many of you know what weakness of character and treason have personally cost me. So, if you would, imagine that a vile spree of treasonous acts has been committed by a soldier under your command- and that your soldiers see fit to tell you nothing about it. Junko Sugimoto, I want you to describe to me how that would make you feel."

Junko fidgeted as the eyes of the women in the courtyard fixed on her, and gulped. "Uh, well, captain- it would… confuse me, and irritate me. It would disappoint me."

Sui Feng nodded. "Further describe the disappointment, Junko Sugimoto."

"Well, I already don't like it when people go over my head with ethics complaints, so if I was at the head, I… I would feel like they failed me?"

"I previously thought I knew what disappointment felt like. When I first received word from Captain Zaraki, I felt disappointment in much the same way as Junko Sugimoto has described. Then I moved beyond that." Sui Feng paused to glare daggers around the courtyard before she continued to pace. "I afterwards felt like not only had you failed me, you failed the Protection Squads and the Stealth Force. I then felt like you had failed Soul Society as a whole, and then felt you failed yourselves and the most basic notions of service and being a soul reaper. Dirt, it has worth and a purpose, despite how banal and mundane it is; my disappointment then deepened when I realized dirt could be favorably compared to my soldiers."

Manami began to whisper to Yoshiko, "Do you think she-"

"Manami Watanabe, you will stay silent and focus on me when I am talking to you," Sui Feng commanded. Somehow, the courtyard got even quieter, no one even daring to move. "Eight murders, and an act of arson that took seventeen more lives. Because of unprovoked aggression from one of my soldiers, twenty-five people have left this world. None of them were criminals of any kind, and they were of our own people. These were not acts of balance. They fermented, feculent bouts of insanity. And now, with Captain Zaraki's memo, I have information from multiple sources stating that they were committed by one of you. 'Female, from Squad Two and the Stealth Force, and with a fire type soul cutter'. Does that sound familiar to any of you?" Yoshiko felt all the blood drain from her face as she realized what everyone in the courtyard had in common. _"So, she didn't tell her it was me, but- but…!"_ Thought Yoshiko. Sui Feng stopped pacing, and raised her voice. "It will be one of you or all of you, and I won't repeat myself: if you are the one behind the murders of Zenzo, Kagemori, Nobuo, Tsuneo, Miwa and Eri Kuchiki and Umeji Murakami, Itsumi Fujita, and the Soul Candy factory explosion, step forwards." Sui Feng continued to stare death at the women in the courtyard, who stood as mute and unmoving as statues. The silence spread out over several extraordinarily uncomfortable moments, and then Sui Feng spoke again. "Any personal items of yours on squad and platoon grounds that you do not have on hand will be destroyed. You are all fired, and have the next one hundred twenty seconds to remove yourselves from the premises before your detainment. One…"

C=={======

"It was a pretty close game when I left," Rin said to Ikkaku. "Tsuru and I had just scored, and Rikichi scored right after us on a kick from Renji."

Ikkaku chuckled as he folded his hands behind his head and leaned back in the desk chair. "Ah, how I loved beating Squad Two's team back when I played. It may have only been on the diamond, but getting the better of that filthy, no-good cheat Daremaru Marudare gave me a lot of warm fuzzy feelings. Nothing quite like sticking it to 'em, is there?"

"It does feel pretty good," Rin admitted with a smile. "He plays center field now. Where was he back when you were on your squad's team?"

"He was their pitcher. Rolled the nastiest curveball you'd ever see." There was a knock on the door, and Ikkaku got up to answer it. "'Bout time they came back. I actually had plans for tonight." He opened the door, and in walked Kenpachi, Tamina, Kaguya, and Shunsui.

"Mister Madarame," Shunsui said with a nod, which Ikkaku returned.

 _"That, that can't be her. Can it?"_ Rin thought in disbelief. "Kaguya Shimizu?"

"It's me, Rin." Kaguya confirmed with a sad smile. "We have a lot of catching up to do, I think." Rin moved in for a hug, surprising her; Kaguya happily returned it for a short while, squeezing tight.

"I hate to break up your reunion, ladies, but I'm here for a reason." Shunsui said.

"Yes, Captain-Commander?"

"Rin Takanade, I need to take you down to the bottom level of the underground prison."


	10. Chapter 10

It took a moment for the shock to wear off of Rin. "You've changed your decision, Captain-Commander?" She asked as they came back to Squad One's buildings.

"I'll let you know soon," Shunsui said quietly. "Some things happened yesterday that I need to sort through, so it'll take some time."

"What went on besides the attack on Squad Eleven?"

"Miss Feng just about lost her mind. I've honestly never seen something like what she did, firing almost a fourth of everyone under her command."

"What?!" Kaguya and Rin asked at the same time. "When you say everyone under her command, you mean her squad _and_ the Stealth Force?" Asked Kaguya.

"I meant everyone; and to top it off, the memo the Inner Court Guard brought over suggested that they be prosecuted for treason and not rehired," Said Shunsui, looking over at Rin and Kaguya. "So I have a little bit of paperwork to get done."

" _Almost a fourth… so there's a good chance she's part of that group, too. Did Captain Feng piece things together and figure out it was her?"_ Wondered Rin.

"Say, Captain-Commander, would you mind if I spoke to you about the firings after we're done?" Kaguya asked.

Shunsui chuckled. "Hate to do this to you Miss Shimizu, but between a nap and an interview I choose the nap every time. After I get it sorted out I'll be glad to, though."

"That's perfectly fine, sir. It is pretty late right now." Shunsui held open the door to the main office, and followed Kaguya and Rin inside.

"Sir!" Hanataro Yamada waved to them as they approached the stairs.

"Ah, you're already here! Hope you didn't mind the wait, Mister Yamada."

"I got a nice power nap in, so it was alright," He said sheepishly.

"I'm looking forwards to one myself," Shunsui replied. "All set to go?" Hanataro nodded, and they took the stairs down.

" _So he's here again. If he already knows everything, what is there to test?"_ Rin thought. "It's good to see you again. How have you been, Mister Yamada?"

Clearing his throat and looking away from Kaguya, Hanataro answered, "Oh! Um, I've been well enough, I guess. I'm still running around everywhere, but I've gotten a little better at keeping up."

"Thank you for being available to help. I know these aren't exactly routine jobs for your division."

"There really aren't any textbook jobs for us," Hanataro said with a wry grin.

"You've probably seen just about everything, haven't you?" Kaguya asked.

"I wouldn't say 'everything', but I've seen what the academy prepared me for an a whole bunch of things it didn't."

Rin snuck a glance at Kaguya as they went down another flight of stairs. " _I never would've thought she'd be so powerful and feminine looking. She was cute back then, but scrawny, like Shinju is now. But a lot can change in a few hundred years…"_ Kaguya caught Rin's look, and smiled back. The rest of the walk down was kept in silence. The midnight quiet in the underground was deep, reminding Rin of what she could be looking forwards to. When they reached the bottom of the steps and the dull grey walls slowly lit up, Rin took a slow breath to steady herself. " _Same room as last time,"_ Rin thought as Shunsui opened the door to the left of the semicircular room.

The brightness of the flat white expanse of the room took several seconds to adjust to. As Shunsui shut the door, he pulled Mountain Bell from his jacket and tossed it to Rin. "No time constraints today, other than me needing to get some sleep," He said. "Now, the investigation and Miss Shimizu's testimony indicated the testing Fudo conducted was able to help you establish techniques normally only quincy have." Rin nodded, keeping her eyes on the floor. "And until now, there's been one missing piece from the murder scene: Blut Artere."

"Blut Artere?" Kaguya asked. "I'm sure Rin is capable of it, but it's not a directly offensive technique."

"True, but it's what she did with it that counts. Now, if you wouldn't mind, Miss Shimizu, this is something I need to test you for, too."

"Yes, sir." Shunsui gestured for her to go ahead, and Kaguya took a few steps away and closed her eyes. " _It's like working with Silver Beam..."_ Kaguya thought. She inhaled the energy around her, redirecting it through her blood. Her already vascular forearms glowed with ethereal lines of blue light that slowly spread over them.

"Think you can handle this?" Shunsui asked with a smirk, looking over at Rin.

"I think so."

"Alright. Miss Shimizu, whenever you're ready."

Kaguya opened her eyes, and drew her soul cutter from where it was sheathed across her lower back. Smiling apologetically, Kaguya sprang forwards, the glow of Blut Artere leaving faint afterimages. Kaguya's immense speed triggered a surge of adrenaline in Rin, startling her into action. " _I know I haven't done this in a while, but I feel like there should be a much larger gap in our speed,"_ Thought Kaguya. Her soul cutter was a wakizashi in its sealed form, and she used her footwork to stay in close quarters and weave together chains of thrusts and cuts. " _It's almost like she knows what I'm doing before I can even think of it! Faster..."_ Energy poured through Kaguya in an exhilarating rush. Her swordwork was aggressive, coming from stances and angles where she would normally have a height or reach advantage. " _That was a Flash Step, but with her soul cutter! So that's how she's keeping up…"_ Kaguya noted.

" _Ooh! Very direct. This is such a physical style she's using,"_ Rin thought. " _Deflection and evasion…"_

Prying his gaze away from the high-speed clash, Shunsui looked over at Hanataro, who seemed faintly annoyed by trying to keep up with the sparring match, but otherwise unmoved. "You don't seem all that surprised. A soul reaper using Blut? Another soul reaper somehow still able to keep up with them?"

"...I was just getting started out in Squad Four when the Visored incident happened. Yeah, the academy told me all about what a soul reaper could and couldn't do, but they didn't say anything about… _alternative_ methods." Hanataro spared a brief glance towards Shunsui. "They were captains and heroes, people you could look up to. Then later I hear about the Bount, and how the Blanks were used. I know we do things this way for a reason, but- ooh, that's a hit!" A thin line of red leapt out from Rin's shoulder, and Shunsui immediately Flash Stepped in to separate her and Kaguya. "I got ya," Hanataro said with a quick smile as he pulled out Gourd. Rin switched Mountain Bell to her other hand, letting her wounded shoulder hang loose as Hanataro inspected it.

"That wasn't too bad, was it?" Asked Kaguya, releasing her control of Blut Artere and sheathing her soul cutter. "I wasn't trying to take your arm off, but I did see and opening."

"It's nice and straight, not too deep," Hanataro answered for Rin. He got set and wound up, swinging Gourd at the wound with a grunt. The first pass began to close up the wound at the deepest levels but not quite all the way, so he chopped at it quickly with wild swings. Kaguya tried to stifle a bemused chuckle, but her eyebrows lifted in surprise as a thin pink mist rose from the wound and as it knitted itself closed. Taking a deep breath, Hanataro nodded, and sheathed Gourd.

"I'm all good now," Rin said with a smile.

"Excellent. I'll recite some poetry while you catch your breath and get ready," Said Shunsui. Rin nodded, and he drew Flower-Heaven Bone of Madness, lifting the blades and crossing them. "When the Flower Wind rages, the Flower God roars; when the Wind of Heaven rages, the God of the Underworld sneers!" The blades flashed, and the light faded to reveal their shikai form. " _It's a shame I can't just ask her like with Kaguya,"_ Thought Shunsui. " _Blut Artere is buried deep inside her, and comfort can't draw it out."_ He lunged in, but Rin immediately took a large Flash Step back and recited Mountain Bell's release command. "So, I may have told a slight lie to the others when I contacted them about this," Shunsui lied as he ran in. "You aren't here for testing."

"Echo!" Rin's adrenaline surge into overdrive, rattling her nerves. She saw each of Shunsui's swings with razor sharp clarity. " _The resonance is strengthening. I need to pour everything I can into it!"_ Sensing the rhythm of Shunsui's blade work, Rin used her footwork to press in close to one side, avoiding the onslaught of two blades as much as possible.

"' _Capable of miracles with a sword in her hands'..."_ Shunsui heard Gengoro Onabara's words echo faintly in the back of his mind, and he began to feel Mountain Bell's Echo on the edge of his senses, washing over and around him. A color floated to the forefront of his mind, and he knew it was time. "Blue!"

" _That's the color of my jersey!"_ Rin thought, startled. Her muscles tingled, feeling light and springy as she adjusted to the change of intention from Shunsui: he was distracting and misdirecting with his lead sword, needling in vicious thrusts with the other at the slightest opening. As he sidestepped to reposition Rin took a big risk and Flashed into a spinning side kick under his lead sword. The blow found its way in just under the subtle chop to cut her leg and forced him back. Rin followed right behind with a Flash Step, catching Flower-Heaven Bone of Madness' lead sword between Mountain Bell's blades and twisting it out of Shunsui's grasp in an instant, calling out, " _WHITE._ "

Shunsui used the barest touch of his toe to the ground to slow his momentum and Flash Step away. He barely had any time to take a breath before she Flash Stepped over, placing herself between him and his lost sword. Her speed intensified by several degrees, forcing him to respond in kind. " _You're not here to go down to her level, Shunsui."_ He thought, starting to angle back towards his lost sword. " _Your here to bring her up to yours."_ Shunsui started tightening up his form when he heard Rin call out Slithering Rope. He quickly Flash Stepped out of the way, flipping over Rin towards where his second sword was, only to find she redirected the Way of Binding spell at it, the crackling golden rope wrapping around the hilt before being reeled in. Laughing, moved in and began using the same tactic Rin had used against him, staying close opposite from Mountain Bell.

" _Laughing?!_ " Shouted Rin. "Every laugh, every lie is proof of the evil that kept me silent! If you're here to kill me you're no better than Renji Fudo was!" A low and rumbling roar like the wail of an orchestra tuning up swelled in. Rin saw Shunsui grimace as their blades clashed, and focused the sound through Mountain Bell's Echo. " _Black!_ "

" _So this noise is physical as well as released through her spiritual pressure,"_ Shunsui observed. " _I feel like she's close to breaking into it, I just need to push her a bit harder."_ The pace of the battle took a large leap forwards, the two using Flash Steps in their footwork as they shot around the room."I think it's time to take it to the next level and use my bankai," Shunsui lied.

"He wouldn't," Kaguya and Hanataro said at the same time, stunned. They looked towards each other, barely able to process the declaration and battle.

"While I'm holding your soul cutter? You wouldn't dare."

"And that's exactly how I know I should," Shunsui answered Rin. She felt Flower-Heaven Bone of Madness warm and vibrate in her hand, and the sudden sensation reminded her of Kaguya and Hanataro standing nearby.

" _No. No. No! NO!"_ Thought Rin. She loosed a fierce battle cry, releasing her inhibitions and channeling energy through her arteries, the electric blue light then lifting off her skin and wrapping around her limbs until her whole body glowed with the sharp blue light. The rush of energy seemed to slow time for Rin, a series of cuts and slashes happening in the blink of an eye, jumping vast distances across the blank expanse in a heartbeat. Just as fast, Shunsui completely vanished, and she felt a burning pain tear through her side.

"Confirmation," Said Shunsui, lifting Flower-Heaven Bone of Madness from Rin's shadow and beckoning Hanataro over. "After we found out about Fudo's experiments, I was all but certain that Blut would be the way you hurled your soul cutter so far. And as far as silence goes, you don't have to worry about that. I think it's time to let the truth speak for itself." Shunsui sealed and took back his swords, sheathing them as Hanataro and Kaguya arrived. Rin looked up to him, her expression full of pain and anger as tears began to form in her eyes. "This probably won't mean much, but sorry. I knew it wasn't a technique that would come out of you easily."

"How extensive?" Asked Hanataro, Gourd at the ready.

"My right side…" Rin answered, sitting and then lying down on her back. She pulled her kickball jersey up so Hanataro could see the wound, and tried to slow her breathing.

" _Goodness, that's a lot of blood."_ Thought Hanataro. He set Gourd aside for a moment, and kneeled down to use the healing arts. " _That's… a surprisingly low amount of her spiritual energy used. Is that how Blut works?"_ The energy restoration done, Hanataro focused the spell on mending the wound, his palms glowing green. " _Simple and clean, but all the way through…"_

Kaguya bit her lip as she watched Hanataro heal Rin. " _So she_ can _use Blut, which would mean it was definitely her…"_ She thought. " _But if that was Blut, I've not seen even the quincy do something like it… she meant to die, didn't she? One way or another, she wasn't planning on leaving here alive once she committed to using Blut Artere…"_

"...Okay. I think a few stabs with Gourd, and you should be good to go." Said Hanataro, standing. He leaned down and offered Rin his arm, and he helped her up. Much less dramatically than when he healed her shoulder he thrust Gourd at her side, the force of the strike evoking a small cloud of pink mist from the wound. With a few more precise thrusts amid pink mist the wound closed up.

"You all are free to go now," Shunsui said quietly.

Kaguya leaned over and gave Rin a shoulder hug, walking with her as they left the cell. "Hey. Want to swing by somewhere for a nightcap?"

"No." Whispered Rin, shaking her head. "I'm tired and I just want to head home."

"Maybe I could come over with you, and just be around if you need someone to talk to tonight."

"That would be nice…" Rin leaned in as she returned Kaguya's hug as they continued to head up the stairs.

C=={======

"I'm just as shocked as the rest of you," Satoshi Hongo said.

"To destabilize two branches of the military like this is unbelievable," Said Juzo. "First she had my trio thrown into jail for absolutely no reason, and now this? What was she even thinking?"

"And to top it off, she only had women fired," Another member of the Stealth Force spoke. "I thought she was- well, you know- more appreciative of what we had to offer."

There was a brief silence before Kazue Sasaki spoke up from her end of the table. "I don't think this is just about gender. Otherwise, me and some of you might have gone out, too. Can any of you think of any other common denominators in the firing?"

"This isn't really anything special, but I _do_ remember Chinatsu and Junko both had fire type soul cutters," One of Kazue's platoon members added.

"And Lady Yoshiko, and Azusa, Haruko…" Kazue trailed off, looking around the meeting room table, realization beginning to dawn on them. "So what's one thing that them and the others who we had watching…"

"Sasaki?" Asked one of Kazue's platoon members.

"...This is a bit of a stretch, but hear me out: Juzo's trio visits Takanade, all three of them wind up in prison. Machi's trio has a surveillance shift at Takanade's house, and she's still in prison. So my guess would be that Takanade knows who the traitor is, and she's giving identifying information to the captain."

"And the captain is kicking out everyone Takanade leads her to," Juzo finished. "But that brings up the issue of her and the captain working together, and possibly the captain offering her some kind of plea bargain." Juzo glanced around the table. "It's starting to look like we can't trust the captains anymore. We may have to take this directly to Central Forty-six."

"No." The Stealth Force members looked over to Satoshi, who had fallen silent. "The Kuchiki assassinations, the firings, they all have a common thread running through them. A female with a fire type soul cutter, and someone that Takanade would know of, an individual who has the assassination knowledge to get away with all this- until now." Satoshi stood. "Yoshiko Shihoin. I'm the one who organized these meetings, so I'll hand this to the Captain-Commander. These meetings never happened. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

C=={======

" _-But the rest of us from the group are still_

 _Out here, too- Shinju Ise, and Jin Ueshiba._

 _I've been thinking we should meet, and get_

 _Caught up. It would be a casual affair, nothing_

 _Formal; just perhaps to say hello. I'd be_

 _Willing to host the meeting at my house, but_

 _If you have any suggestions for a meeting_

 _Place, I'd love to hear them. I'm swamped_

 _With paperwork right now, so-"_

Akinari Kubo set the letter down on his bed. He'd lost count of how many times he'd read it since receiving it the other day. The first emotion had been surprise, which was followed by suspicion, and doubt- doubting everything. The sense of brotherhood he had gained with his squad, the trust others had in him, whether he had really been alone the whole time, and above all, the trust he should have in others. While Akinari hadn't known Renji Fudo, there were expectations in place when he arrived that spoke volumes of his character, almost as if he'd already become a ghost and was guiding him from beyond. Akinari had proven his loyalty. Now, he had to prove what he was willing to sacrifice. He was at a crossroads, and there would be no returning from the path he chose.

It may have been a moment of weakness, but Akinari stood from the edge of his bed, the decision made. " _I'm not doing this to be called a hero,"_ Akinari thought to himself. " _The time of heroes has come and gone. This is about Lady Yoshiko and the Shihoin, and what it means to be family."_


	11. Chapter 11

Rukia consoled herself with the fact that this technically wasn't treason. " _No less dangerous, though. I've never been the most competent with stealth. This isn't unreasonable, but what if they refuse…?"_ The way was very familiar to her- in fact, she was relatively sure she'd passed by several times in the past before she knew who lived there. It was a small and unassuming house close by the squad buildings, with small flower beds hanging beneath the windows, and a cobblestone walkway. The sun was waking just below the horizon, a pale gray light blending into the early morning sky. The door was locked, but Rukia pulled out Isshin Kurosaki's credit card and wedged it into the door, sliding it up and down until the found the bolt and very slowly inching the the bolt back. " _They use these to buy things in the world of the living?"_ Thought Rukia, looking at the credit card as the door unlocked. " _Much more useful to unlock doors, I'd say."_

The house was quiet. Rukia padded towards the first open door, going behind the couch. " _Empty. Looks like she uses this one for training and exercise,"_ Rukia thought. " _There's someone on the couch, but she wouldn't sleep there at home, would she? Pale hair, it seems… no, that's not her. The other room, then."_ Silently as she could Rukia stole into the room, shutting the door behind her. To one side of the occupied bed was a small writing desk, and on the other was a nightstand and lamp, against which rested the woman's soul cutter. Rukia sat down at the desk facing the bed and spoke, "Takanade, wake up. I need to talk to you." Softly repeating herself, it was only a few more moments before Rin stirred.

"Shinju?"

"No, this is Rukia Kuchiki." Rin swiftly sat up at hearing that, and Rukia motioned for her to stay quiet. "I'm only here to talk, so don't be alarmed."

"The last time someone broke into my house it wasn't to talk, so you'll have to forgive me for being startled."

"The last time?"

"A trio from the Stealth Force," Rin answered, tossing back her covers and swinging her legs over the edge of her bed. "It's… complicated, but someone over there is keeping a close eye on me. They might even be around right now for all I know."

"The way was clear when I was coming over."

"Good." The still quiet of the early darkness returned, Rukia hesitating and contemplating her choice of words before speaking again.

"Miss Takanade, my family is in a difficult spot at the moment. So, I'm proposing a deal: if you're willing to help me and do a little work for me, I'll do what I can to keep the Stealth Force at a safe distance from you." Rin didn't answer right away, so Rukia continued, "My brother's idea of adopting you into the family came as a surprise when he brought it up. I must say though, it has been on my mind since then. My husband speaks highly of you as a kickball player, and of your character, and I know my brother trusts you as an officer of his squad. So, my family believes in you, and since this is a family problem, I thought to come to you and ask for help."

"...I may not have much time, Captain Kuchiki. I confessed to killing Renji Fudo at the very beginning, it was just that the Captain-Commander didn't have enough to put me away. But now he does," Rin said with a sigh. "I gave him everything he needed to do that yesterday." " _Captain Feng knows, and now the Captain-Commander does, too. I won't be a free woman much longer so what exactly am I risking?"_ Rin thought. "What did you have in mind?"

"Extra eyes and ears. If you'll forgive me for saying so, you operate at a much different social level than my family; people might say and do things around you they would never dare to around my brother and I. They've been killing us left and right, and we have no idea of who's behind it or why they're doing this. We just need to know _something._ " " _Of course she's not considering it,"_ Rukia worried. " _If she freely cooperated and incriminated herself, something like this would be beneath her. This was a-"_

"Balance." Rin looked up towards Rukia. "When I fought Yoshiko Shihoin, she said that's what they were after. I would suppose that means they're attempting to remove you and your brother from office at the least. Yoshiko was prepared to do that by assassination in your brother's case, and she may for you, too."

"...Ungrateful _bastards_ ," Rukia swore, her heart growing inflamed with anger. "Before Yamamoto's time, the Soul King trusted no one more: he left them their shield and Twinned Punishment, and took one of them as his consort; they looked down on Chimon Kuchiki and his family, who were merely the greatest magicians Soul Society had ever known. It seems they haven't been able to let go of that. Us Kuchiki have had to work and work for everything we have, but they've just coasted on privilege for _millennia_. If you ask me, if you're going to balance Soul Society, _they're_ the ones that need to go."

"I'll handle Yoshiko," Rin said after several moments of silence. "She's strong, Captain Kuchiki- but she still has a lot of training to do. If she attempts another assassination, I'll shut her down."

"Do you promise to?" Asked Rukia softly.

"I promise," Rin assured her. She thought for a moment, then asked, "What was Zenzo's voice like?"

Rukia blinked, taken off guard by the question. "It was a baritone, bright and full of strength." Rin nodded, and Rukia stood. "If we are in agreement, then I need to be going. I should be back at my home for breakfast." Standing, Rin held out her arms, and the two briefly hugged. Rukia then turned to the window, and tried to lift it up.

"The latch is in the middle," Rin pointed out. "You have to jiggle it a little before it turns."

"I _am_ jiggling it," Rukia huffed, the latch turning loose a second later. She slipped through and turned back to Rin, saying, "Thank you for helping me, Miss Takanade. I'll be in touch later." With a nod, Rukia left Flash Stepped away.

C=={======

Yoshiko sighed. "No. I was able to get away before Zaraki arrived." She glared around the tea table before continuing, "Say what you want, but I still got the job done. It's within my means to see this to the end, and I will do so. Keep that and what I've already done in mind while you're criticizing me, which I'm sure you can't wait to get back to doing."

"The strike needed to be better researched," Yasuo Shihoin began. "There was another member of the division that was able to interfere, not to mention that Zaraki himself was still on the premises; in addition, Takanade was able to intervene on-"

"I specifically planned it for an occasion when she would be busy!" Yoshiko interrupted. "And as for his squadmate, they're dead as well- if it wasn't for Zaraki's presence there would have been no witnesses and no survivors. I planned it as good as I could have with the time you gave me."

"But what about Takanade?" Asked Yoshiko's aunt, Yui. "She's displayed an ability to access you regardless of your location. If she's as aware of you as she appears to be, then you should have prepared for her arrival."

"And Takanade should be well accounted for in your plans going forwards," Yasuo added.

"I think that's related to Sword of Gathering Flames," Yoshiko said. "I think I've overused it in my work-"

"It has nothing to do with Sword of Gathering Flames," Said a voice. A fierce chill ripped down Yoshiko's spine at hearing it.

"You're supposed to be _dead_ ," Yoshiko said

"Bad habit of mine, I s'pose. Since you didn't stay to finish the job, Tamina was able to get me to the med station and then to Squad Four."

"Who are you?" Yasuo asked sternly.

"Your lovely relative knows who I am. Why don't you ask her?"

"No. No, this isn't you, Zenzo. Only Takanade can do this." Yoshiko regained her composure, the shock wearing off.

"Where is she?!" Yui whispered to Yoshiko.

"You're right in saying only Takanade can do this, Yoshiko- I just happen to be with her right now. She was with the captain in interrogation when I came back. It seems she knows quite a bit about what's been happening to my family. We have answers now. We're prepared, we're ready. Is Yushiro ready?"

"You wouldn't _dare_!" Yoshiko yelled.

"My cousins may be the ones who are proper Kuchiki and get all the attention, but if it means keeping my family safe, I'll do whatever it takes."

Kaguya heard her back door open, and a few seconds later, Rin walked into the living room. "You alright, Rin?"

"I just needed a moment," Rin said with a quick smile. She took a seat in the corner of Kaguya's sectional, next to Shinju. She looked down towards the long end of the sofa to where Jin Ueshiba sat: he had a healthy glow to his tan skin, his wild curly hair pulled back into a ponytail; his high cheekbones and warm brown eyes suggested a certain playfulness. "This is still a lot to take in. I wasn't sure how I would handle it, but now…"

"I wasn't sure what to expect either," Jin said. "We were all kids back then, but you and Kaguya look so much more mature, and Shinju- well, doesn't."

"I finished growing early," Shinju grumbled.

"Just teasing," Said Jin. "You look older, too. But so much has happened. Where do we start?" As Jin finished speaking, there was a knock on the front door. "Do you think it's him?" He asked, looking over to Rin. Kaguya got up and went around the wall to answer. Kaguya's whispers sounded excited, and when she came back into the living room, it was with a man who appeared to be wearing the uniform of the Punishment Force. A closer look revealed to Rin the style was slightly more casual, and over the uniform the man wore a long, sleeveless black jacket. There was a nervous look on his face; his features were strong and sharp, and his dirty blond hair was cut in a short fade.

"Sorry I'm a little late," He said, his voice a light bass.

"Akinari!" Jin sprung up and walked over to offer Akinari a handshake. He accepted it with a nod, and took a spot on the loveseat opposite the sectional next to Kaguya. "So," Jin said slowly, "How's life?"

"Work has been pretty stressful," Akinari answered. "And I just got word I'm going to be getting almost no free time whatsoever for the forseeable future."

"I think work has been pretty stressful lately for all of us," Rin said. "I haven't had hardly any time to adjust to my new position, I let down my team at our kickball game the other day, and… well, my case is close to done."

Seeing everyone was aware of how the case against Rin was, Kaguya cleared her throat and asked, "What is your new position, exactly?"

"Sakura Kinoshita got kicked upstairs to Squad Seven, and I've been put in her place. Aside from the seat she held she also handled a lot of the less glamorous paperwork in the division," Rin answered with a chuckle. "I'm not nearly as fast a typist as she is, so things are already getting backed up."

"I've been swamped with paperwork too," Said Kaguya. "Tidying up and gathering all the details and stories my squad gets, in addition to putting the finishing touches on an article I've been sitting on for an eternity."

"So you're in Squad Nine?" Asked Jin.

"From day one," Kaguya said, holding up a finger and smiling.

"I've stayed with the Kido Corps, also from 'day one'," Shinju said, removing her fork from her hair and idly fiddling with it. "If I may ask, where did you head to after the academy, Akinari?"

"The Stealth Force," He answered, after taking a deep breath. "I was looking for… duty and brotherhood. Daremaru Marudare made me an offer for a place in his division after graduation, so I took it. I got what I wanted but I was in way over my head those first few months…" Rin saw Akinari's broad shoulders relax as he recounted his years in the Stealth Force. She noticed Jin's involved listening, and the parallels he noted to his own early service in Squad Four. Akinari glanced towards her, and she decided to speak.

"My first priority after graduating was to find somewhere safe. After all the rumors and things that happened at the academy I just wanted to get away. Not necessarily to hide- although I'll admit that was part of it- but to start over…" She looked over at Shinju, who had already heard of her early career in Squad One, but was still listening dutifully as if it was the first time. It was several moments before Rin forced herself to look away, trying to fight down her blush as she focused on Jin.

" _Carrying around that burden of fear and anger for so long…"_ Thought Shinju as Rin told of her role in the quincy extermination campaign. Echoes of the turmoil it had caused within her showed on Rin's face as she spoke of the battles. The silence after Rin finished was a painful decompression, the weight of countless years lifted off. "...If the experiments shaped us all in some way, how do we define ourselves, going forwards?"

"As soul reapers- or kido practitioners-" Rin said, glancing at Shinju. "First."

"We aren't an outside force; we've been here fighting the same battles as everyone else," Jin added.

"But think of what happened to Kurosaki," Akinari said. "He was thrown around and used mercilessly."

"We would get picked apart if any of us spoke up on their own," Said Rin, nodding in agreement.

"So then it should be all of us, together," Kaguya said. "We aren't alone in this anymore, and it isn't just us, either: Fudo experimented on students before and after us."

"As a family?" Jin proposed after a short stretch of silence. The casual question bore an immense weight behind it.

"As family." Rin stood abruptly, putting her hand out. Shinju was next, putting her hand over Rin's. Kaguya and Jin stood at the same time, and after hesitating a second, Akinari stood and put his hand in.

He looked around at the others, then nodded. "As a family."

C=={======

" _Such a day full of light,"_ Thought Shinju, humming happily. " _New beginnings with old friends… Everyone's alive and well, and I'll be serving as Rin's guest to the officer's ball…"_ Sighing with contentment, Shinju stuck her fork back in her hair and almost skipped home, feeling as if she was gliding. She thought back to the question, savoring the look on Rin's face as she asked. " _Do I still have formal wear? I know I've used at least one kimono on a test dummy at my lab…"_

Though the evening air was warm, a chill tingled down the back of Shinju's neck. Due to her love of explosions, Shinju had out of necessity developed a highly acute sense of danger. She paused a moment to augment the sense with her magic, the simple spell pinpointing the approaching attackers. "Almost completely hidden… these men are good…" Shinju said to herself, removing her fork from her hair and commanding, "Pull!" The counterpart to the Push spell arrested the motion of the assassins, dragging them through the air to where Shinju pointed in front of her. "Gentlemen! An explanation, please."

"Did we seriously get sent after a scrawny girl threatening us with a fork?" One of the masked assassins questioned, turning to one of the others as he stood.

"Prob'ly doesn't weigh a hundred pounds soaking wet," They answered, getting up from the street.

"Incorrect, as my long hair absorbs water and increases my weight a surprising amount," Corrected Shinju. "And this isn't a fork."

"I'm pretty sure that's just a plain fork."

"Incorrect again! This is my soul cutter."

The assassins glanced at each other, and began to chuckle. "You're an Ise, right? That's impossible. Literally- there's only one soul cutter an Ise's wielded for centuries."

"We are unable to imprint and bond, which is true. But what if I didn't have to do so? What if this was forged from a soul I didn't need to explore and connect to?" Shinju shook her fork, releasing the concealment spell and revealing an ornate katana with a lotus blossom tsuba. The eyes of the assassins went wide, and they quickly drew their own soul cutters. They fanned out into an attack formation, filling the empty street. A pale lavender light began to spread out from Shinju as she lifted her soul cutter. "Transfigure, Crystal Edge!" An effervescent cloud of sparkles burst from Crystal Edge, leaving it a naginata with a diamond-like blade. One of the assassins immediately darted in to attack from the side, but was stopped by a searingly bright arc of plasma blasting his eye. Shinju touched Crystal Edge to his arm as he collapsed, and the appendage liquified and stretched to impale another assassin's shoulder, his arm becoming solid again once it was lodged inside. "Pull!" Shinju called as the others scattered to flank her, the men colliding back to the spot with a heavy thud. She stabbed Crystal Edge into the ground, and the street beneath her attackers vaporized, reforming at neck level once they sank into it. "Goodnight, gentlemen. You caught me in a good mood, so if you are freed, please tell your employer I'd love to meet with them to discuss the matter of your work."

"You can go f-"The assassin's insult was cut short by Shinju stepping on his face as she passed, Crystal Edge sealed and confined to its fork form once more. "I swear, it's like everything connected to Takanade is cursed," He grumbled after Shinju was gone.

"I know, right?" Said the assassin to his left. "'Low value target' my ass." He turned his head to the two that Shinju had wounded, hearing their labored breathing. "Ken, Saborouta, how are you two holding up?"

"I can deal with the wound, but having Ken's arm inside me feels pretty damn disgusting."

"Ditto," Echoed Ken. "I think I'll be fine as long as I can get free and stop the bleeding. From what I can see, I'm closest to the surface, too. I'll see if I can get arm bad arm free and then break us out."

"Hurry, if you can. We still need to get to Hongo tonight."

C=={======

"Captain Kuchiki! They're here, sir!" Byakuya looked up from his desk to see Rikichi leaning through the doorway. Byakuya hurriedly flipped shut the folder of the Seaweed Ambassador manga he was sketching and stood.

"Thank you. You are free to accompany me, if you wish. I think it would be helpful to have other members of the squad present."

"Yes, sir." Rikichi bowed, and Byakuya led the way to the conference room in the main office's West wing. He noted the usual cool and calm expression on his captain's face, and wondered how the recent chaos had affected him. " _Most of us were fine until the kickball game,"_ Rikichi thought. " _I didn't take it as personally as everyone else did, but I'm still wondering why Rin lied and left the game…"_

"I need you to be welcoming," Byakuya said. "This is a difficult time for them, and I want the transition to be smooth."

"Of course captain. I'll do what I can to answer their questions." " _Which I'm sure they'll have plenty of. Things are probably completely different between our squad and theirs,"_ Thought Rikichi. He entered the room first, and cleared his throat. "The captain of Squad Six, Byakuya Kuchiki."

She had felt somewhat like a prisoner in the conference room. The sleek and minimalist design of it was timeless, but hardly comforting, and her new captain being announced like royalty had not helped in the slightest. She the tiniest fraction of a glance at her as Byakuya scanned the room, and figured she should stand. The others followed suit, and Byakuya nodded, and motioned for them to sit.

"I am aware of the unusual circumstances of your departure from your previous squad, the likes of which has never happened before in the records of the protection squads. Though much of this scenario is a break from tradition, I saw this as an opportunity to fortify my squad with proven talent, and to reinforce the ties between our two squads. There is a difference in work, but a similarity in service between your previous squad and mine. As such, I have placed you all in the positions of seated officers, which you will co-chair; they are as follows: Chinatsu Ito and Azusa Mori in the twentieth seat, Hana Goto, Kin Kondo, and Shiori Mikazuchi in the sixteenth seat, Usagi Shibata in fourteenth seat, and Yoshiko Shihoin in thirteenth seat. This will be a slight reduction in responsibilities for most of you, however, I may make additional opportunities available once you have acclimated to the squad." Byakuya looked around the table and reached into his jacket for the projector remote. He clicked the button several times, and a few frustrating seconds later, the projector screen dropped down, an illustration of Seaweed Ambassador spreading his arms and saying "Welcome!" fixed to it. Coughing to clear his throat, Byakuya finished, "I wish you all a fruitful employment here. I have more matters to attend to, so if you have any questions, please direct them to my subordinate Rikichi here." With a nod, Byakuya exited the conference room. " _How does that world of the living saying go again?"_ He thought. " _Ah- keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."_


	12. Chapter 12

Kazue Sasaki crept towards Squad One's buildings with the utmost stealth. The risk of her mission was immense: unsanctioned, unreported, and carrying out a plan that had gotten a man killed. It was past midnight, but she was sure her target would still be there. " _The games end now. I swore an oath to protect Soul Society when I joined the Patrol Force, and I will not go back on it. Too many people have died for me to ignore it any longer…"_ Kazue thought. There were dark whispers of doubt shadowing her mind as well- what would happen if she failed, what would happen if she succeeded and was found out- but Kazue focused on what she was doing for the greater good.

" _That was the last blind spot. To the door and in!"_ Kazue thought as she sprang around the corner. She found someone from the squad heading out as she did so, and twisted sideways as she Flash Stepped in past them. The few soul reapers of Squad One left in the lobby turned to face her at once, standing at the ready. "Is the Captain-Commander in?"

"Yeah, but you're Patrol Force," Answered Kunihisa. "There's no reason for you to be here right now, especially at this hour of the night."

Kazue took out the folder from her uniform top, and held it up for him to see. "I have an urgency level three report to deliver."

"Level three?" The woman behind the reception desk asked skeptically. "We're at peace."

"If this doesn't get to him, we won't be," Said Kazue. She saw the suspicious looks cast at her, and sighed. "I'll leave my soul cutter with you and have two of you escort me if you don't trust me, but this has to reach Captain-Commander Kyoraku as soon as possible."

"Jiguro?" Kunihisa asked. Jiguro shrugged, and he and Kunihisa began to walk with Kazue.

"If possible, I would like this visit to stay off the record," Kazue asked quietly.

"Urgency level three and off the record?" Jiguro asked. "What exactly is in that report?"

"The subject of it is aware of its existence. They had Satoshi Hongo from the Punishment Force assassinated before he could deliver it, so that by itself is level two."

"I thought you guys didn't bring your problems over into the protection squads," Jiguro said. Kazue turned her charcoal grey eyes towards him, her stare convicting and resolute.

"Normally, no, we don't," Kazue said after a moment. "But if it was only the Stealth Force involved in this I wouldn't be here."

"Can you say how deep it goes?" Kunihisa asked.

"You'll know soon enough. This kind of thing won't stay under wraps for long." A sense of impending dread settled around them as they walked the halls and took the stairs. " _Even if I go undetected, it's a simple process of elimination. Who's left? Not many of us would even consider this at the point we're at,"_ Thought Kazue. Her anticipation made the walk seem shorter, her mind racing ahead.

Jiguro knocked on the door thrice, and slid it open. Shunsui and Genshiro were seated at the desk reading through stacks of papers, a few very old boxes on the floor nearby. "Sir!"

"Kazue Sasaki, vice captain of the Patrol Force and eighth seat of Squad Two," Kazue said, giving a quick bow as she reached the desk. "I have an urgent report for you, sir." She handed over the file, which Shunsui accepted with a nod.

"I'm going over some old case files right now, Miss Sasaki," Explained Shunsui. "Is this something more pressing?"

"I firmly believe so, sir."

"Okay, okay." Motioning for Genshiro to continue reading, Shunsui flipped open the report, quickly scanning through it, a subtle frown easing onto his face as he read it. Without looking up, he said, "Miss Sasaki, contact the Punishment Force for me and tell them we need to bring her in. I'll be sending the hell butterfly to Squad Twelve with the serum request." Genshiro and the others from the squad looked up, alarmed.

"May I see the report, captain?" Asked Genshiro. Shunsui passed it over the desk, and it wasn't long before Genshiro shook his head and handed it back. "The files can wait for the moment; I'll personally send for the truth serum."

Kazue glanced at Kunihisa before speaking to Shunsui, "May I leave through the window, Captain-Commander?"

" _Was she followed here?"_ Thought Shunsui. "They don't open, but if you can think of a way through other than breaking, you're free to."

Nodding, Kazue stepped around the desk. "Thank you for receiving the report, sir." She turned away to the window and said, "Way of Destruction: Cut!" There was a shimmering scraping sound, and Kazue pushed out one of the lower panes, wiggling it free and sliding it against the office wall. Without another word Kazue crouched down onto the windowsill, and left with a Flash Step.

C=={======

The doubts that had plagued Rin when she was first arrested returned, even stronger. Her self-worth, the strength she had gained from the friendships she had rekindled, and her sense of purpose were all called into question again. Prepared as she could be, she knocked on the office door, and entered. She found both Genshiro Okikiba and Nanao Ise standing by, Shunsui waiting patiently, his expression neutral and unreadable. "Good morning, Captain-Commander," Rin greeted with a bow. "Vice captains."

"Good morning, Takanade," Genshiro said. Quietly taking her seat across the desk from Shunsui, Rin leaned back in the wooden chair and breathed in deep.

"...There are a number of factors working against you here," Shunsui began. "Tradition, the peculiarity of the case, pressure from Central Forty-six and the noble houses… there are very clear expectations and formulas for what your sentencing should be. Personally, Miss Takanade, what would sentence yourself to?"

"A life for a life," Answered Rin. "Soul Society lost a monster, but it also lost a reliable vice captain. I believe I should pay with my life, whether by imprisonment, or execution."

Shunsui held Rin's gaze for several moments. "Death will be a core part of your sentencing, and something I want you to be prepared for."

"So I'm to be executed, then?"

"I watched Yamamoto struggle with death," Shunsui said after a short stretch of silence. "The toll that organizing the protection squads took on him, and the loss of his most trusted officers and friends. He weighed the price of life against duty and law, and I know that he found life too great a burden to carry without order and sacrifice. The man had a big heart, Rin, bigger than we may ever know. But me, I don't have the sort of strength he had. The injustice this eye has seen doesn't allow that: from it I learned that there is no room for death or life in truth, and that law is a consuming void." Pausing, Shunsui removed his eyepatch, and pointed to the flesh that had healed and been sealed shut. "This eye is the one that taught me about justice. It is an endless abyss, but one of possibility; an opposite force to law and truth, if you will. The only way to understand it is to enter into the darkness yourself. It took awhile, but I concluded that death is part of your justice."

Rin sighed. "When is the date-"

"You will experience death, over and over again; you will see your enemies die, and may very well see your friends and allies die," Interrupted Shunsui. "What I mean, Miss Takanade, is that you are now the executioner of the protection squads and the Court of Pure Souls. This is a duty in addition to your current ones, but taking much higher precedence. When it's time to work, you will work. Do you understand?"

"...How will I carry out my duty, sir?"

"I've decided that as long as it's within the confines of Execution Hill and carried out in the performance of your position, you may use any method you choose."

" _Forbidden kido, poison… even my vollstandig form!"_ Thought Rin. "But what if someone like Aizen comes along again? How would I execute them?"

"Breakdown Sphere notwithstanding, if the individual had been imprisoned with spirit sealing stone, I'm confident you would be able to carry out the execution. Now that we know what signs to look for, you shouldn't have to worry about another Breakdown Sphere, either."

"Though unofficial, you would also have a very liberal training budget, if your needs aren't being met," Nanao added.

"I think that for now I just need to train," Rin said reflexively.

"That's perfectly fine," Shunsui assured her. "In fact, take the rest of the day off to do that. Your first shift will be coming up soon."

C=={======

Her head buzzing with a deliciously dizzy feeling, Shinju took hold of Rin's hand and looked up to her again: her hair was tucked behind one ear with a crystal flower pin, her eyes sparkling and free of the pain Shinju had been seeing in them. Her dress was sleeveless and steel blue, the neckline low cut, and with a slit up to her mid thigh. "Are you sure I won't be overdressed, Rin? I only had this old-fashioned hand-me-down to wear."

"Your 'old-fashioned hand-me-down' kimono is beautiful," Rin said with a smile. "There won't be many others wearing traditional clothes, but you won't be overdressed." Shinju held her chin up and straightened her sash, Rin giving her a peck on the temple as she leaned in. She could hear lively chatter already echoing out of the ballroom. "Do you have any favorite dances you want to do?"

"Um, about that…" Shinju said quietly, looking away. "I don't know how to dance."

"Not even a little?"

"No."

They came up to the receptionist, who was standing ready with the guest book. "Good evening, ladies."

"Good evening, sir," Replied Shinju.

"Rin Takanade, with Shinju Ise as my guest."

"Noted," The receptionist said as he wrote their names in. "Enjoy the ball, ladies." Rin nodded, and she and Shinju stepped into the grand ballroom.

"Maybe you'd like something to drink, first?" Asked Rin, gently. "It could help you loosen up a little."

" _Alcohol and kido do not mix well..."_ Thought Shinju, remembering the disasters her last time out drinking caused. "...Just a small glass. I can't hold my liquor very well."

"I can't either," Rin said with a sheepish smile. She peered around through the crowd and found where the bar had been set up on the side of the room, and led Shinju towards it.

"Rin!" At one of the table near the bar, Tsuru Naguchi waved them over. "I see you finally brought a date this year. It's been what, about-"

"Tsuru, this is Shinju Ise. Shinju, this is Tsuru Naguchi."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Ise." Tsuru said with a smile, offering Shinju a handshake. "It's not often Rin brings someone to the ball, so we like to tease her about it."

"As you should," Shinju agreed. "I used to believe I was about as single as one could get, until we met again."

Tsuru almost choked on her drink as she laughed. "And where _did_ you meet this wonderful woman, Rin?"

"We first met back at the academy, when she was an assistant instructor in kido her last year…" She glanced over to Shinju, who quietly provided a few details of their first time together as Rin recounted those months. Tsuru briefly interrupted them to get a round of drinks, smiling as she returned with them.

"I didn't meet Teppei that long ago," Tsuru said to Shinju. "It was actually at the officer's ball a year before the quincy invasion. Sometimes it's a lot of work to get caught up when we haven't seen each other for a couple weeks."

"Where is he tonight?" Rin asked.

"Busy," Tsuru answered with a sad smile.

"What's that like?" Asked Shinju. "I always distracted myself with experiments and study, and didn't realize just how much free time I had until I found Rin again."

"I won't lie, it can be difficult. You just have to find ways to make things work, and make the most of the time you do have together." Tossing back the rest of her drink, Tsuru thumped! down her glass and said, "But enough of that for now. Let's get out there and dance!"

Rin gave Shinju a wide smile, and taking her hand, led her out to the nearest empty zone of the dance floor. She nodded to Tsuru as she slipped away to find a dance partner, and turned back to Shinju. " _This nervous look on her face,"_ Rin thought. " _I never want to forget this."_ "So. Let's hold our hand outs here like this," Rin said, rotating their grip. "And then I'll have my hand on your waist, and your other hand goes on my shoulder."

"I think I remember this part," Shinju said. "Now what?"

"We move our feet!" Rin began a simple pattern of footwork, but soon had to stop. "If you could, try not to move your feet onto mine." Shinju blushed in embarrassment, and began to take smaller steps as Rin guided her. Her white and pink floral print kimono was a tad loose, and swayed elegantly with Shinju's movements; her hair was in a loose braid over her shoulder, and there was an intense expression of focus on her face as she watched her footwork. "Let's do one more step. To the left. My left," Rin added a moment later.

" _Her touch, and the steps…"_ Shinju thought. "Is this proper, what we're doing? For being in public?" Rin only responded by pulling her closer.

A handful of minutes later as the band ended the slow classical song, Shinju excused herself to finish her drink. As Rin turned back to the dancefloor, Yoshiko Shihoin appeared beside her. "Let's dance," She said, taking Rin's hand. Another slow classical song was starting up, but Yoshiko led them off at a brisk pace. "I've made a mistake."

"I can think of several you've-"

"All this time I was targeting the Kuchiki, but I needed to have _you_ out of the way first." Rin tightened her grip on Yoshiko's shoulder. "There's nowhere for you to run now. I know how you operate, and how to break you down. You can expect your execution to be the least of your worries." Staring hard, Rin dipped Yoshiko suddenly. The determined expression that had been masked by the gold and diamond earrings and soft curls set in Yoshiko's hair was momentarily replaced by surprise, Yoshiko's tight black strapless dress riding up dangerously high as she hooked her leg over Rin's to avoid falling.

"I'm not worried about that at all, actually," Said Rin as she lifted Yoshiko back up. "I think you have more to be sorted than I do. A man you failed to kill telling everything, being fired; who knows, maybe even dear old mister Fudo might return and have a few things to say."

Yoshiko scowled, twirling Rin around. "I know that's not how your soul cutter works. Zenzo and Renji are both dead."

"Of course my soul cutter can't do that. But you're forgetting that people like me have a number of other things they can rely on."

"What do you mean, 'people like me'?" Asked Yoshiko, jerking Rin out of their step pattern into a new one.

"Ask Shinju Ise. Or maybe you already did, and that's why you targeted her yesterday." There was a brief flash of recognition in Yoshiko's eyes. "Yet another mistake you made. Shinju is far less forgiving than I am, and people in the Kido Corps operate under different laws. Tell me, are you familiar with the Kuchiki Allowance?"

"She wouldn't. Since Tsukabishi was exiled that's been ignored and the law enforced the same on everyone."

"You could make a very convincing argument in her favor, since your killing spree has put the rest of Soul Society at risk-" Rin twirled Yoshiko around, but Yoshiko yanked her hand away and slipped off through the crowd. Sighing, Rin was about to turn and look for Shinju when she bumped into someone. "Excuse me-"

"You look lovely tonight," Shunsui said.

"I'm sorry, Captain-Commander. I was a little distracted. And thank you." Smiling, Shunsui extended his hand, offering Rin a dance. She took it, and Shunsui pulled her in, beginning a waltz. Rin noted Shunsui was still in uniform and wearing his usual floral jacket, but his beard had been cleaned up a little.

"How are you feeling? I saw things getting pretty intense."

"I had been fine, until just now. I'm so frustrated with her- uh, pun unintended- dancing away at the last moment."

"I was working with the Punishment Force to track her down," Shunsui said, leaning in to whisper. "I just thought I'd stop in for a few dances now that we've got her."

"Her?" Rin asked, confused. "Do you mean…?"

Shunsui nodded. "It started with the Patrol Force, and picked up speed from there. We have more than enough to put her away now."

"Then shouldn't you hurry? She may be out of the ballroom by now."

"She won't be getting far if she did leave," Shunsui assured Rin. "Just relax, and dance."

Shinju was searching through the throng for Rin. She had needed a moment to herself to recover and bring her pulse down to a manageable level. After she had finished off her drink, though, Rin had vanished from their place on the dance floor. " _It would make sense for someone to want to dance with her, a tall and glamorous woman,"_ Thought Shinju, making her way over to the bar. " _Men_ and _women alike. On the other hand, I've never had to worry about-"_

"Excuse me, miss?" Startled out of her thoughts, Shinju turned around to find a tall man arrayed in a formal kimono standing behind her. "I don't believe we've met before- I'm Tetsuzaemon Iba. Would you join me for a dance?"

"Yes," Answered Shinju, not knowing what she was saying. Tetsuzaemon smiled, guiding Shinju away. "I'm Shinju Ise, sir."

"I couldn't help but notice your wonderful kimono. It's not often these days you'll find someone wearing one to the ball."

"That was something Rin mentioned to me," Added Shinju. She then proceeded to accidentally step on Tetsuzaemon's toes. Twice.

"Just take your time, this is a slow dance," Tetsuzaemon said with a laugh. "And you came as Miss Takanade's guest?"

"Y-yes." Shinju glanced up at Tetsuzaemon, then checked her footwork.

"If you would, there is something I would like you to pass along to her," Tetsuzaemon said quietly. "Things are moving quickly, and I want to be sure of where she stands."

"I'll try to help you out, if this is about what I think it is. Are you referring to Rin's trial?" Tetsuzaemon nodded. "She didn't say what it was, but she told me that she received her sentence."

"I see. Well, if you would, let her know that I'd like to speak with her privately. But enough of that for now." With a winning smile, Tetsuzaemon bore Shinju's toe steps and gently guided her in the dance.

" _I need to learn how to do this with Rin,"_ Thought Shinju. " _How to move her and guide her, sense where she wants to go…"_ Shinju was starting to enjoy Tetsuzaemon's leading when she heard a few pained exclamations across the dance floor. The commotion spread, the crowd clearing as the music stopped and it became apparent there was a fight breaking out. After a jumble of shouts, a man flew through the air across the room, and a mass of the Crawling Rope spell writhed around. At that, the room flew into chaos. "Pull!" Directing the spell at the doors, Shinju slammed them shut. She pulled the fork from her hair and got set, shaking away its concealment.

"A soul cutter? I thought you said your name was Ise," Asked Tetsuzaemon.

"It is, sir. I can see one person the struggle is revolving around. I'll clear the way for you to subdue them. And you're a soul reaper, I presume?"

"Correct. If you have a plan, we need to hurry before this escalates any further." Shinju nodded, and with a quick command released Crystal Edge. She leaped up, and arcs of plasma burst through a chandelier, splitting up into tendrils that lanced into the Punishment Force members at the base of their skulls, the targeted shock causing them to drop senseless. Casting Pull, Shinju piled them up against the door, and Tetsuzaemon tumbled past the Crawling Rope that the woman in black wielded, grabbing her arm and wrenching it behind her back.

Shunsui and Rin Flash Stepped in, appearing in front of the woman. The extinguished chandelier flickered back on, and some of the bystanders gasped at seeing the culprit. "I'm not going to ask you to explain yourself," Shunsui said. "We both know why you fought back, and this little kerfuffle was just confirmation." Yoshiko lifted her chin, and spat at Shunsui's face. He made no attempt to dodge, and the spittle was vaporized by an arc of plasma in any case.

"No, Captain-Commander. We don't need an explanation, but everyone else here does," Said Rin. Yoshiko remained silent, staring defiantly at Rin. "Can everyone hear me? This is Yoshiko Shihoin and I have a few things to say." Yoshiko's eyes went wide at hearing her voice fill the ballroom. "First- I want to admit I'm weak, too weak to stand up to my family. I've tried so hard to-"

"I'm tired of watching justice be treated as an afterthought!" Yelled Yoshiko. "It wasn't even an option under Yamamoto, and now we have a piss-weak Captain-Commander who's too afraid to even understand it!"

"What you're speaking of is pain," Shunsui calmly spoke into the silence. "Unfortunately, it seems you've chosen to not fight through it to understand justice."

"You aren't carrying the weight of millennia of your ancestor's dreams on your back! Don't you dare talk to me pain like I can't understand it. I only want what's best for Soul Society, so it's awfully hypocritical of you to talk about not seeing past pain when _you_ can't even see past your own! Too weak to properly honor the legacy of your late lover, or to-" Yoshiko choked and gagged, coughing out water.

"I suppose I forgot to inform you you're not allowed to speak of my aunt under any circumstances," Shinju said as she stepped up beside Shunsui. She looked over to him, an alarmingly calm expression on her face. "I would require less than a second to drown her, sir. You would take her outburst as an admission of guilt, wouldn't you?"

"That's a job for the executioner to work out," Shunsui answered, his eyes sliding over Crystal Edge as he turned his gaze back to Tetsuzaemon. "Mister Iba, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like you to bring her with us."

"Gladly, Captain-Commander. There are a couple other matters I'd like to discuss with you, as well."

"That'll be fine. Miss Takanade, do you need to come with us?"

"No, sir. I know what I need to." Nodding, Shunsui and Tetsuzaemon led Yoshiko away, pausing for a second as Shinju Pulled the unconscious Punishment Force members away from the door.

"Now what?" Asked a woman in a green dress after a prolonged stretch of silence. "The mood's been ruined, and there are drinks spilled all over the place back here."

"I will eliminate the mess," Shinju declared. She raised Crystal Edge and with a loud hiss, the spilled cocktails vaporized. Shen then sealed her soul cutter, and fixed it back into place in her hair. "As for the mood, I've heard that comedy is always the way to go." Pivoting to Rin, Shinju held her hand out. "Let's dance."

Rin registered the oblique insult in the back of her mind, but shook it out and took Shinju's hand, drawing her in close and beginning an up-tempo waltz. " _She's trying, so so hard. Still terrible, but there's something else here now…"_ Rin thought as Shinju attempted to take the lead. Shinju stared hard into Rin's eyes, pouring her heart out into the dance. Though Rin heard no laughter, she became faintly aware of others around starting to dance again, and the music took her away into Shinju's gaze when it started back up.

The memory of the arrest had begun to drift away when Rin and Shinju slipped out of the ball. The drinks and melodies of the band were flowing again, but had become a distraction; things became much clearer in the quiet of the night air on the walk to Shinju's house. The two stayed close at each other's side, not needing to speak a word.

The two-story house came as a small surprise to Rin, who had expected Shinju to own a smaller flat much like she did. "This is a nice place," Rin noted as Shinju opened the front door.

"Mother said it wouldn't do for someone of my talents to be hidden away," Replied Shinju. "At least, that was her reasoning. I'm at my laboratory so frequently I hardly spend two consecutive nights here." Flipping on the light, Shinju looked over her shoulder at Rin. "Speaking of which, I'm afraid I've used all the spare bedrooms for storing my experiments and files."

"That won't be a problem," Rin said, gently shutting the door behind her.

C=={======

"The need for it has become apparent. After the loss of Twinned Punishment we've had to resort to less effective and efficient methods."

"It isn't necessarily about the need! It's still in the prototype stage." The man looked around the smoking lounge, the others appearing unconcerned. "Tested _once_. Successfully, true, but only once. With the reports we're receiving, I want to make sure we get this right the _first_ time."

"I viewed the test as a mere formality. The active component is foolproof, and all it needs is a minute amount of guidance in its delivery." The other members of Central Forty-six gathered in the lounged nodded in agreement. "The only question remaining is how we negotiate its use.-"

"Very clear lines have been crossed," Another member of Central Forty-six interrupted. "No negotiation should be needed."

"Why don't we put on the old 'ask first then do it regardless of the answer' routine?"

"Ah, it's been a while since we've trotted that out, hasn't it?" There was a general murmur of agreement at the suggestion, and the Central Forty-six member cleared their throat. "Motion to acquire the implement?"

"I second the motion."

"All opposed?" Silence. "All for?" A chorus of "Aye!"s greeted the question. "Very well. We will start the acquisition process at once."


	13. Chapter 13

"Shriek, Dozing Green!" Katsumi Kuchiki's soul cutter was limned with a pale green light, and the blade lengthened and widened into a scimitar blade etched with vine engravings, the slight curve of the handle also becoming more pronounced. " _He's good, but one hit is all I need,"_ Thought Katsumi, smirking. The masked fighter's dual hook swords were always aiming to ensnare, but she made use of Dozing Green's curves, whipping it past and away from the grabbing attempts. She and the masked fighter danced across the rooftops of Squad Three's grounds, their soul cutters doing a deadly waltz. " _He hasn't done anything with his shikai either, so I think it's time for a surprise,"_ Katsumi thought. Her opponent pressed in hard with his thrusts, rotating the hooks around to try and catch Dozing Green as he pulled back. As he did so with his lead sword, Dozing Green looped around the blade and Katsumi yanked it out of his hand, Dozing Green uncurling and the blade scoring a shallow cut to the man's chest. He stiffened up, grimacing and hissing in pain. "Do you see what I meant now? With Dozing Green, it won't matter how strong my opponents are: if their bodies betray them, they will be at my mercy and I will cut them down." " _Now, for the coup de grace,"_ Thought Katsumi. "Crawl, Dozing Green!" The vine etchings on the soul cutter's blade glowed with a sickly green light, and Katusmi aimed a vicious slash at the masked assassin's neck.

The strike was blocked. The man snarled, and drew back his sword for a swing. Katsumi deflected it, still in shock. " _I can't even remember the last time I needed more than one strike!"_ She thought, again aiming for the man's neck. " _To be able to withstand the kind of pain Dozing Green inflicts…"_ She stood toe-to-toe with him, trying to outspeed his slashes, when she directed Dozing Green to loop around his remaining sword. Katsumi was a split-second away from disarming the man when she heard a rattle then felt her left calf being sliced into and through. She tried to take advantage and act before the shock wore off, but without stable footing she slipped and stumbled.

Katsumi was saved from tumbling off the roof, being pulled back up. Her masked attacker looked into her eyes as the realization dawned on her, and struck Dozing Green with one hook sword and pointed away with the other; the soul cutter ripped out of Katsumi's grasp and rattled along the rooftop until it came to a stop far behind her. "I'll admit, your soul cutter probably would have ended the fight against a lesser man," Said the assassin, his voice muffled by his mask. "But underestimating 'lesser' men is a big part of why I have to do this. My apologies, Miss Kuchiki." The assassin crossed the blades of his soul cutter, trapping Katsumi's neck in a ring of certain death.

Startlingly, Katsumi began to chuckle. "They treat this like it's a secret. Every Kuchiki and their dog knows Pale Fire Crash, but we treat its most dangerous application as taboo and forbidden." Katsumi gleefully grinned, the breeze lifting her dark hair about. "I'll gladly join Zenzo and the others- but I'm taking you with me." A sudden flare of pale blue light emanated from Katsumi, and the masked assassin swore loudly.

C=={======

"We have a great atmosphere around here," Kokichiro Takezoe explained. "We all work hard and the captain leads by example." He smiled and looked over at the new academy graduate. "I know you said you were concerned about your family name causing problems, but you don't need to be troubled over that- you guys are everywhere, we're pretty used to you by now."

Atsushi sighed in relief. "Good to know, Mister Takezoe. But, I'm wondering, what do new recruits specifically have to go through?"

"Nagakiso has his swordsmanship class, which is open to everyone, but academy recruits are required to attend. I heard your swordsmanship was great though, so you may just be taking a fast track through it and complete the graduation requirements early." With a wink, Kokichiro added, "The only other thing to watch out for is the vice captain. She likes to tease all the new recruits when she meets them, especially the younger guys like you."

"Noted," Atsushi said. " _I think this may be the place. Hard work and responsibility, an encouraging structure… and wasn't my cousin Katsumi here before she got promoted and transferred to Squad Three?"_ Thought Atsushi. "I think I'll take the offer, Mister Takezoe."

"Are you positive?"

"I am. I've had a couple other offers, but your squad will be the best fit for me."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes," Atsushi said, nodding. "I'm sure of it."

"Alright then. I'll catch up with you later and give you directions to the training hall."

"That would be very welcome. Good day, Mister Takezoe." Kokichiro left with a smile and nod, and Atsushi took a deep contented breath. The morning was still young, and he decided to see what he could of his the squad before returning to his new apartment and going through the tedious business of unpacking and sorting out his belongings.

They spied Atsushi as he turned the corner. " _Stop pussyfooting around. Do it now, before he makes another street,"_ They thought. There was a burning sensation in their chest that reminded them of how their day had gone. " _Quick. I'm not going to take a risk drawing this out."_ Drawing his sealed soul cutter, he Flash Stepped in, the tanto first piercing through and then across the young Kuchiki's throat. The Flash Step out was much farther and faster than the one in, the masked assassin not taking pause until they were well out of Squad Ten's grounds. " _I wish I had more than one day for this…"_

C=={======

Miki Kuchiki opened her eyes. She had been meditating in the rock garden of her personal estate, trying to calm herself. "I felt it happen. A sort of sea change, if you'll pardon the pun." She gave a short, bitter chuckle, and said, "They used to make fun of me for being so sensitive, and then they started criticizing my lack of progress with Dogma. Always being the odd one out would be quite the ironic end, wouldn't you say?"

" _Lack of progress?"_ Thought the masked assassin, puzzled. " _The file didn't mention that, but if she could sense my work and approach…"_ The masked assassin slowly and smoothly drew both of his tanto, preparing himself. He saw the bald woman's arm move slightly, and gathered that she had unsheathed her soul cutter past the habaki. "...While I can empathize with that, this is nothing personal, Misses Kuchiki."

"Oh, it's personal. I may have been the black sheep of the clan but they were still my family," Said Miki, standing and turning to face the masked assassin as she drew Dogma in one motion. " _A tall and well-built man,"_ Miki thought. " _Proper balance in his stance, eyes alert. If he could defeat Mitsumi, I may need your help. Shifting his stance, bringing his knives up and crossing his arms- that looks like he's preparing to release his soul cutter! NOW!"_ "Censure, Dogma!"

"Ebb and flow, White Mirror!" With a pale flash, White Mirror took the form of twin hook swords. The masked assassin watched cautiously as water began to coalesce and jet down Dogma's length, forming a blade of running water. An otherworldly and ominous feeling emanated from it, the hairs on the back his neck standing up. He did his best to ignore it and charged in, zig-zagging with Flash Steps. He found Miki was ready, Dogma deflecting his lead blade, the current of water pulling it down and almost out of his hand. He quickly had to adjust his other blade to compensate for Miki's follow-up attack, and went into a more circuitous footwork pattern.

Miki began to press him back towards the central path through the garden, taking advantage of Dogma briefly spraying water into the masked assassin's face when they crossed blades by shifting in and following through with her strikes. "You have talent, I'll admit that- but you've chosen the wrong side."

"It was never my place to choose a side," The masked assassin answered her. "That's always been decided for me." Miki again easily deflected his lead sword, but the assassin called on White Mirror to pull Dogma back towards his other blade, and caught it in the hook, yanking it away; it shot out of the hook, the pommel digging into the ground before it cartwheeled backwards, Miki backflipping to it and snatching it out of the air.

"Flood!" A fierce wave exploded out from Dogma, catching the assassin by surprise across his midsection and sending him crashing back. She stayed close, raining down blow after blow as the masked fighter tried to stumble to his feet on the slippery rocks. "Never your place to choose?! Those are the words of a weak coward! _I_ chose my path! _I_ was willing to pay the price of freedom!"

"And that's the very reason I was able to risk attacking you in your own home," Replied the assassin, rolling out of the way and using White Mirror to push Miki back. Even so, he was barely able to stand and regain his footing, and when he did, he found Dogma no longer forced his blades back. " _The water… it's flowing upwards towards the spine, now- instead of ripping…!"_ The change in Dogma's flow even became apparent as Miki's slashes now had an immense force beyond what her short and athletic frame could generate. Each clash of blades was like getting splashed by a wave for the masked assassin. Working with one blade, he held the other off to the side slightly, pulling the boulder Miki had been sitting on towards him. He had to use the crescent for most of his parries, as Miki still was working very directly forwards, but at the last second he was able to use his lead blade to repulse her in the giant rock's direction and roll to the side.

The unexpected attack connected with a meaty thud, slamming Miki to the ground. " _This may be my only chance!"_ Thought the masked assassin, shoving the boulder off of Miki with White Mirror. Hooking her neck, he pulled back, the blade passing through cleanly. Not waiting to catch his breath, the masked assassin sped off along his exit route.

C=={======

"It's just so beautiful." Said Goro Akamoto, resting his chin in his hands as he sat on the tree stump.

"We've been doing this for months, Goro," Said Suzu Kuchiki. She whipped and swung her soul cutter around her, it having the form of an elegant urumi with a blade of flowing flames in its shikai. "I'm still relatively new with Crimson Tongue, so you better get used to it. Now come on," Suzu said, swinging around to face Goro, "Help me practice." Sighing, Goro drew his soul cutter and hopped off the stump. Suzu swung Crimson Tongue in a wide figure eight pattern, Goro blocking the diagonal slashes as he moved in a circle around her. Carefully, Suzu began to snap her wrist as she brought Crimson Tongue back to center, cracking it like a whip and scattering a spray of embers around them.

"Ah! Careful with that!"

"This _is_ me being careful," Suzu replied. "Can you not handle a few sparks flying in your face?" She asked, with a smirk. She picked up the pace then, and switched to only whipshots.

"I can handle sparks in my face," Goro said dryly. "I just prefer that it's not happening when someone's swinging a blazing whip at me." Suzu chuckled, and continued whipping Crimson Tongue at Goro.

The playful nature of the sparring stood out to them. " _She had promise. She should have reached for it instead of slowing it down with him,"_ They thought. The morning had tired them, but they still had much to do, and leapt out of their observation spot towards the young couple. Goro was first, the tanto going through and across his neck faster than the blink of an eye. A look of shock passed over Suzu's face, and she whipped Crimson Tongue down at the masked assassin. "Kiss!" Though the masked assassin was of course prepared for one blade, Suzu's Kiss command split Crimson Tongue's length in two, the tips taking on a fang-like shape; one was blocked, but the other bit into the masked assassin's shoulder, a burning pain shooting through it. "Who are you?!"

The intensity of the young Kuchiki's eyes was familiar, and the masked assassin felt the need to briefly speak. "The man that killed your mother. She would have been proud to see what you could do." Drawing his second tanto, the masked assassin slung it forwards as Suzu drew her arm back for another strike. The point sunk in over Suzu's heart, and lunging in, the assassin finished her with two more swift stabs. Though he knew he needed to be moving and out of the squad's training park right away, the assassin paused. " _A mother and a daughter. A family, gone in one day…"_ Sighing, the masked assassin flicked his tanto clean and sheathed them, and Flash Stepped away.

C=={======

There was a listless breeze sweeping over Execution Hill. A handful of the captains and their officers had gathered there, along with members of the Stealth Force and Kido Corps, as well as a scattering of representatives from the noble houses of Soul Society. Rin had to force herself to breathe slowly, and she closed her eyes to try to calm down. " _Not wearing my elite's jacket, or anything outlandish. They're staring because of her…"_ Opening her eyes, Rin looked over to Shunsui and nodded as she stepped into position. Twelve men in a row kneeling in front of her, facing away to where the stand had been- criminals and traitors, whose executions had been delayed indefinitely after Twinned Punishment was lost. Rin drew Mountain Bell from its sheath and settled into a deep stance, and with a wide and sweeping slash, beheaded all twelve men. Her Stealth Force assistants then stepped in, removing the bodies.

The decision had worried Shunsui. He could see Rin was simply wearing her basic soul reaper uniform and an armband that read "EXECUTIONER", a clear statement that clashed quite garishly with what she was about to do. " _...But this is her job, and punishment. It's too late to change things, now."_ Clearing his throat, Shunsui raised his voice and said, "Bring forth Yoshiko Shihoin." Clad in the white prisoner's robe, Yoshiko was pulled forwards by the wardens. They released her bindings, and the Kido Corps began to chant, a transparent red barrier of light fading in around Rin and Yoshiko.

"...She's not about to do what I think she is, is she?" Tetsuzaemon asked, looking over to Sui Feng.

"There could be any number of reasons the corps erected the barrier: to inhibit interference, protect the nobles from the execution, prevent Shihoin from escaping, and so on." Sui Feng glanced up to Tetsuzaemon. "But for the record, yes. I'm positive she is. The others were beheaded without any sort of fanfare or safety precautions." " _This is just in poor taste,"_ Sui Feng thought, frowning. Her assumptions were confirmed when Rin tossed Sword of Gathering Flames back to Yoshiko.

"I've received word that things are still moving forwards," Yasuo Shihoin whispered to Yushiro. "This day will be a dark stain on the pages of history, but it will not be the end."

"...I can't do the things she did, grandfather," Yushiro said, looking sideways at Yasuo.

"Just the same as you can accomplish things she couldn't have," Replied Yasuo.

"I… I don't project an image of strength, anymore. And that's something that we'll need now."

"You still carry the legacy of the family name. That will be your strength."

Yoshiko looked down at Sword of Gathering Flames. " _I'm not at full strength, but, if I'm given this chance… I will not doubt, or question. I am here to end this once and for all,"_ She thought. "Execution by single combat," Rin stated, breaking into her musings. "Draw your soul cutter."

"...Your last and greatest mistake was giving Sword of Gathering Flames back to me," Said Yoshiko, doing as Rin had commanded. "I now hold in my hands the strongest fire type soul cutter since Yamamoto's- and no illusion of sound will turn me aside from my victory." Rin remained quiet, standing still and ready. "Nothing to say to that? Nothing to say for me in my voice?" Rin responded by tightening up her stance. "Very well then. Enjoy infamy, Rin Takanade. Paint the landscape with fire, Sword of Gathering Flames!" A burst of heat accompanied the release, kicking up dust and causing the air around Yoshiko to blur and shimmer with heat. She shifted the focus of the heat onto Rin, and Flash Stepped to behind her left side, aiming to go around her in a triangular shape- however, as she arrived behind Rin at her right, she found Sword of Gathering Flames deflected and whirled out of her grasp.

"Execution by single combat. Pick up your soul cutter." Yoshiko huffed and knelt down to do so, springing up and attempting the Flash Blossom technique, finding the first strike denied before Rin disappeared and she felt a brutal blow to the back of her head that sent her grinding forwards face first through the dirt, the momentum eventually carrying her legs over. "Execution by single combat. Stand up and defend yourself." Now furious, Yoshiko rolled onto her hands and knees, vaulting high over and far behind Rin.

"Release your soul cutter and stop playing around!" Yoshiko shouted as she landed. "I know you aren't strong enough to beat me otherwise!" Flash Stepping in, Yoshiko zig-zagged back and forth, only to find a cloud of dirt kicked up towards her arrival spot. " _That bitch! She'll be coming in from my blind side-"_ Thought Yoshiko, swiftly bringing up Sword of Gathering Flames and pivoting, only to feel a merciless impact to the base of her neck that temporarily stunned her as she was sent crashing forwards.

"Execution by single-"

"IF YOU WON'T, THEN I WILL!" Yelled Yoshiko, raising Sword of Gathering Flames, glaring murder at Rin. "Bankai!"

Sui Feng's eyes went wide. " _So she was telling the truth. That crimson hair and foxtails, that spreading pool of fire, that's her soul cutter's true strength? What is Takanade playing at?! If she doesn't take this seriously now she could lose!"_ Thought Sui Feng. "Everything about this is a mistake," She said to Tetsuzaemon. "Appointing her as executioner, allowing her to choose execution by single combat…"

"The first twelve appeared as routine as anything. I'll agree, though. This… is not a good look for the squads."

Yasuo was stiff and motionless, his fury a liquid fire coursing through his veins. " _Too late. Your bankai comes too late, Yoshiko- she is already in your head… That whore! It would have been more than enough to merely execute Yoshiko, but to do this?!"_ Yasuo thought, his rage only deepening as he realized what the duel would have meant if Yoshiko had gone uncaught.

"Grandfather…?" Yushiro asked, witnessing an anger he'd never before seen on the man's face.

Pouring everything she could into Heavenly Sword of Gathering Flames' blazing sea of fire, Yoshiko sent the inferno swirling into tornadoes and waves of fire around her, attempting to drown Rin in the flames as she chased her. "You thought to stop me here?" Yoshiko taunted. "There was never any chance you could have done it like this!"

" _It's time,"_ Thought Rin. " _I've been holding on strong but I can't do it as long as I'd planned…"_ "Any last words before your execution is finished?"

Yoshiko traded several blows with Rin in a split-second before the woman slipped away again. "I don't have any last words, because I'm not going to-"

Shunsui almost gasped as the miniscule sliver of time unfolded: Rin absorbed the spiritual energy of Yoshiko's soul cutter, in nearly the same way as he'd seen the quincy steal a bankai, drawing on that reserve to propel herself into a Flash Step with a speed he'd only seen a handful of times before, executing the Flash Blossom technique and knocking Heavenly Sword of Gathering Flames out of Yoshiko's hand. The look of utter shock and fear on Yoshiko's face was heartbreaking. There was a murmur of surprise that leaped up from the crowd, but it soon died down as Mountain Bell began to shine with a piercing blue light. Almost blinding, the light spread along her arm and then with a flash revealed her soul cutter was now a spear with twin blades like Mountain Bell's shikai; bird-like wings of spiritual energy extended from Rin's back, and a takuhatsugasa of spiritual energy had formed from the crown of her head. Rin's soul reaper uniform was gone, replaced by the white and gold travelling robes of a wandering monk. "Vollstandig: Divine Mountain Bell." The breeze faintly rustled the twelve rings at the bottom of Divine Mountain Bell's shaft, and tendrils of blue light writhed out from under Rin's robes before snapping back into place, completely covering her in her Blut Artere technique. "Enjoy infamy, Yoshiko Shihoin."

"Wait! I have more to s-"

"Peal." The wave of sound blurred the air, impossibly loud, eroding and stripping away Yoshiko's flesh and bones and sending up swirling waves of dust behind her. Bringing Divine Mountain Bell back to its sealed form, Rin looked over to Shunsui calmly. "Finished, Captain-Commander. I'm ready for the next twelve."

Shunsui blinked, and broke the stunned silence. "Bring up group two!"

C=={======

Byakuya Kuchiki had tried to not be surprised by bankai anymore. After his battle against Ichigo, he swore to himself to never underestimate those around him, to not cause pain by either a lack of faith or by arrogance. To fail at it quite miserably opened up a number of questions he didn't want but needed answers to.

" _That distance in his gaze… he must still be thinking about it,"_ Rukia guessed. "It was like a fever dream; too many impossibilities happening all at once to be real."

"...It was a surprise. But there is still work to be done. We need to head back for the family meeting after I have matters settled here at the office."

"Only a bit of paperwork, you said?"

"Yes," Byakuya affirmed with a nod. "It won't be long." Rukia knew how tedious and time-consuming a captain's paperwork could get, but trusted her brother to handle it. She gave him the space he needed to think, and remained silent as they worked their way back to Squad Six's main office.

Several moments later, Rukia could see someone ahead at the front doors of the main office standing watch. " _That hair, and soul cutter worn on their back… that's my cousin Iwao,"_ She thought. " _But what is he doing here? He's over in Squad Eight, isn't he?"_ She sensed Byakuya's interest, his steps a hair quicker and with more purpose as he approached. "Iwao! What brings you here?"

"I've been all over the place looking for you two," Iwao said, jogging towards them. "First I was at the estate, and then the news kept coming in and I heard you two had gone to the execution session…" Sighed, Iwao closed his eyes, and Rukia could see the exhaustion plain on his face.

"Has the meeting been rescheduled?" Asked Byakuya.

Taking a deep breath, Iwao straightened up and looked Byakuya in the eye. "Yes. But, cousin, I have to say… it's not because of scheduling conflicts. Atsushi, Katsumi, Masahiro, Tatsuo, Izumi, Suzu and Miki… they're all dead."

Byakuya felt his blood freeze. "Say that last name again."

"Miki. They, they got to her at her estate. She was alone-" Iwao paused, as Byakuya began walking off. "Cousin! Where are you going?!"

"The meeting should continue as scheduled, and minutes be taken for family who can't attend today," Byakuya said over his shoulder. " _Before, it was merely treason and terrorism,"_ Thought Byakuya. " _But if they've taken the life of my elder sister, it is now war."_


	14. Chapter 14

The soft slide of wood over carpet could barely have been heard in the early morning quiet, but it was enough to wake Rin. "Shinju?" The slight figure shook their head, and motioned for her to stay quiet.

"Rukia Kuchiki, again." As Rukia's eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw Rin relax and fold her sheets off her legs. "After what happened yesterday… we need to talk."

"Do you mean the execution session?"

"No, but, I will admit, that was _highly_ surprising, and wouldn't mind a little explanation."

"...That was me being selfish and vindictive. I'd thought that the Shihoin would feel justified by Yoshiko's death, and be emboldened to do even more terrible things." Rin glanced over to where Rukia stood, and sighed as she sat up. "I wanted to show them what the end game would have been even if she hadn't been formally arrested. After the last time we spoke, I thought it might be my only chance to do something. So I took it."

Rukia fell silent for several moments, a twinge of regret and pain poking at her heart. "It won't be the endgame, Miss Takanade. Yesterday morning… seven… seven more of my family members were killed."

"How?! Yoshiko was imprisoned and executed, and I know I saw Yushiro and a couple other Shihoin there at the session." " _Who do they have left?!"_ Rin thought, furious.

"Assassination. We can't think of who, because my sister Miki, she had been next in line to be head of the family. I'd heard she had struggles with her soul cutter in her youth, but whenever I met her, I was always struck by her serenity. Perhaps Yushiro could have overtaken her if he was whole, but he was present at the session." Rukia heard Rin sigh, and watched as she moved to turn the lamp on her nightstand.

"I just haven't been hearing much," Rin said frustratedly, running her hand through her hair. "I've been too busy with paperwork and training to talk with the Squad Two transfers, so all I know is what I picked up when I eavesdropped on Yoshiko the other day."

Rukia's eyebrows jumped up at hearing that. "You were able to infiltrate their estate?"

"Not physically, but yes. It was in the middle of a meeting between Yoshiko and some of her relatives, and they were very critical of how she'd been carrying out the plot. That was part of the reason I went for execution by single combat: I don't think Yoshiko was the one to plan all this out."

"That was something we had considered," Rukia responded after a moment of quiet. "But if that's the truth, we'll have to adjust to it. Do you know who was with her?" Asked Rukia, sitting down at Rin's bedside desk.

"I could hear an older woman and an older man. If I had to guess, I'd say one of her much older uncles or grandfather, and one of her aunts." Pausing to think, Rin glanced away towards the end of her bed. "If I remember correctly, I did see an elder Shihoin at the session that might have been her grandfather. Should I pass that along to the Captain-Commander?"

Nodding, Rukia Said, "They still have so many players in the wings we don't know about, and if we can get Yasuo, he may lead us to whomever was behind yesterday's killings." Rukia swallowed, and looked away at Rin's headboard for a second. "Are you available later today?"

"In the evening. I have a press conference with Kaguya and the others in the morning, and whole stacks of paperwork to run through after that at my office: things from the squad, as well as the new job," Answered Rin, referring to her role of executioner. "What did you have in mind?"

"I was hoping you would be willing to do some of the groundwork in regards to investigating the new killer. My family and I will be meeting with some of the Shihoin in the early afternoon, and while I would have appreciated your presence there, with your job as executioner that would complicate things. I can't be everywhere and could use all the assistance I can get…"

"Actually, I could be there- the same way I got into their estate before," Said Rin. "Do you know the exact time? I would be able be there if I knew when."

"An hour and a half after lunch," Rukia said, attempting to not sound over-eager. "Is it some sort of remote viewing kido?"

"No, it's only auditory," Replied Rin, growing slightly uneasy. " _I know I used my vollstandig form at the execution session, but…"_ She thought, worried. "I'll try to keep track of your resonance with Mountain Bell so I can do it, but I have to say- if it's not time for the meeting yet, I may end up overhearing something sensitive and unrelated to it."

"That won't be an issue," Stated Rukia. "You wouldn't overhear anything that you don't already know or that I wouldn't tell you; most of the time between lunch and the meeting will be spent in travel, in any case." The danger of the plans leaned in on the quiet. Rukia hesitated, then stood. "Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Takanade. I can't tell you how much it means you're willing to help." Rukia stepped over to the window, and jiggled the latch and lifted up, sighing in frustration when the window only went up a short distance. "What?"

"I put rulers in the sides after your last visit," Rin explained as she got out of bed to help Rukia. It took a moment in the dim light, but the rulers were taken out from the sides and placed on Rin's desk.

"Thank you, again," Said Rukia, softly. "I'll leave you to your rest."

"Good night, Misses Kuchiki." Rin gave Rukia a quick and gentle shoulder hug, and watched as the captain departed through her window.

C=={======

Showing its usual disregard for inner conflicts, the weather was sunny and warm. Jin Ueshiba noted the modest crowd that had gathered in front of Squad One's main office. It was mostly comprised of soul reapers from the protection squads, though he noted his captain, Isane Kotetsu, and a small handful of nobles were also present. " _I can see how hard she's trying to keep it cool,"_ Jin thought, casting his eyes over towards where Rin stood next to Shinju. Her presence seemed to not have the buoyant effect on Rin's mood he had seen before. There was a definite note of tension in the air, and Jin knew the moment weighed on him and the others who had agreed to stand with Kaguya.

Hatsumomo Agatsuma waited as Kaguya stood at the podium skimming through the statement. Her superior officer's proposition was a surprise, and touched things deep within her; Kaguya's easy charm had been what kept her from bouncing to another squad, running from her past- there had been no indication she herself had gone through the same trials, or that she knew others had. " _I'm calm now."_ Hatsumomo thought. " _I'm not alone, and I'm ready. Miss Shimizu and the others, they're here with me."_ Brushing strands of her fine black hair out of her face, she took a deep breath as Kaguya switched on the speaker in the podium.

"I want to thank you all for coming out," Kaguya began. "Today, I want to speak about choices, and I will begin with the choices of a broken man: Renji Fudo. Over three hundred years ago, he experienced incredible loss. That pain haunted him for the rest of his life. He chose not to run from it. He sought to understand and control it, to master it, but he didn't choose to search it out within himself. He made the mistake that has been the downfall of king and commoner alike for millennia: placing the burden of his pain on unwilling shoulders." Shinju glanced up at Rin. Her eyes were fixed on Kaguya's papers, and though her face was neutral and unreadable, she noticed how tight and controlled Rin's breaths were. Slowly, carefully, she slipped her hand into Rin's as Kaguya began detailing the experiments.

The hairs on Mayumi Kyoraku's neck stood up as she listened to the horrors the men and women on the office steps had undergone. " _To say this so boldly… it's hard to believe someone as solid and logical as Fudo would do this, but she is rather persuasive,"_ Thought Mayumi, who received another shock as she recognized Shinju. " _An Ise… unable to bond with a soul cutter because of the old curse… that would seem wide open to him, wouldn't it? And did Shunsui know about any of this?"_ Glancing around the others gathered in front of the office, Mayumi saw a similar expression of disbelief on their faces.

"For years, decades, even centuries, we chose to run," Said Kaguya, after a brief pause. "Due to recent events, however, the things we chose to turn and run from have caught up to us. It brought pain, but it also brought us closer together. Quite unexpectedly, we had a new choice: community. We chose to be survivors, instead of victims; we chose to not live in fear of life, and to not isolate ourselves in pain. We chose community, both with ourselves, and the rest of Soul Society." Kaguya looked down at the statement and swallowed, taking a steadying breath. "Executioners, reporters, medics, artists, bodyguards, soul reapers: this is us. Only now, we will no longer choose fear."

"Is your loyalty to Soul Society still the same?" Mayumi asked. Having been sent as a representative of the Kyoraku family, this was the matter she was chiefly concerned with.

"Our loyalties remain unchanged," Answered Kaguya, looking Mayumi in the eye.

Rin tried to unclench her fist, but found it wasn't her own hand squeezing- Shinju had taken her hand at some point. That realization was enough to let some of the tears Rin had been holding back sneak out, and not caring for the crowd, she pulled Shinju into a tight hug.

C=={======

The tanto clanged against Jade Leaf, which had come together in the form of a shield. The masked assassin attempted to bring in his other tanto for a stab to Ohta Kuchiki's stomach, but Jade Leaf scattered into a cloud of leaf-shaped projectiles that flew into his face and neck. "If my uncle were here you would be _dead_ right now," Ohta said, springing back onto the rooftop of Squad Six's barracks.

The masked assassin had to deflect a last few shards, and turned his attention back to the young Kuchiki woman. " _Five more, not including them. She's one of the smaller fish in the barrel. I shouldn't be having this kind of trouble."_ Bringing his arms up and crossing them, the assassin commanded, "Ebb and flow, White Mirror!" The blades of the masked assassin's tanto lengthened and curled into twin hook swords, and Ohta directed Jade Leaf's fragments to swarm towards him. With a surge of determination, the masked assassin directed White Mirror's power at the cloud of shards, dispersing them all around the area. Ohta's eyes opened wide at her attack being deflected, and tried to Flash Step to the side as she felt herself being pulled towards the masked man. The step was shortened, and Ohta crashed hard into the ground.

"Why?" Ohta demanded, gritting her teeth and pulling herself up. "Why are you killing us?!" She recalled the fragments of Jade Leaf, forming spade-shaped blades over her forearms.

"It's all I know how to do," The masked assassin confessed. Ohta gave a guttural cry and raced in, but the assassin was prepared: the close range fragmentation of Jade Leaf was repulsed, with Ohta's other arm drawn into the crook of his second blade before her hand was severed with a swift yank, his lead sword whipping around to catch Ohta's neck in the hook before he brutally stomp-kicked her into it and ended the clash. He paused a moment to behold Ohta's sharp and feminine features and jagged cut dyed blonde hair, before flicking White Mirror clean and Flash Stepping away. " _If you bring your emotions into this, it will only get worse,"_ He thought, sealing White Mirror and sheathing it.

C=={======

The large torii at the entrance of the Shihoin estate was cheery, with paper lanterns and banners hanging from it. "Rather festive for a visit on such short notice," Rukia observed quietly.

"Yushiro's birthday is tomorrow," Said Byakuya. "They will likely cite preparations for the main feast to cut the talks short, but don't let that distract you."

"I won't, brother. I know what we need to do here."

Waiting at the gate was one of the Shihoin's servants, an elderly woman in a formal kimono with graying hair in a tight bun. "Goody day, Kuchiki captains. Welcome to the estate. Allow me to show you in."

"Good day to you as well, ma'am. Please, if you would." Byakuya gestured for her to lead the way, and she set off at a brisk pace. The main walkway was Portuguese pavement, depicting nature scenes from the world of the living in a traditional Japanese style. The spacious lawn and trees were well groomed, the early afternoon sun filtering through like splashes of golden paint. The walk was silent. Byakuya had a host of things he wanted to say, but it wasn't quite the place to do so before entering the estate.

Upon coming inside, Rukia noted straight away the house shoes with her and Byakuya's initials on the instep. And having warned her of this- as a potential move to apply poison- the two of them politely declined the offered shoes, instead showing their own. Though suspicious, after the Shihoin's servant decided the soles were clean, she relented and allowed them to wear their own. "We very much appreciate the thoughtfulness, though," Rukia said cheerfully.

"Certainly. Now, the tea room is this way…" Taking in the traditional Japanese decor of the mansion, Byakuya did his best to maintain his cool demeanor. " _Our shoes will be noted,"_ He thought. " _On guard at all times…"_ Several moments striding through the halls later, they came to the tea room. The Shihoin's servant slid the door open, and left with a bow.

Yasuo and Yui Shihoin were waiting at the small square table. Yasuo rose, shaking Byakuya's hand and giving Rukia a nod. "Welcome to you both. Please, take a seat."

"I want to thank you for agreeing to meet on such short notice," Said Rukia, kneeling down on the luxurious cushion.

"It's the least we could do," Yasuo answered.

She glanced over to her brother, and they pulled small white gloves out of their pockets. "These are my favorite tea gloves," Rukia lied, having purchased them earlier that morning.

"Quite dainty," Commented Yui. She calmly and quietly served the tea, thin wisps of steam curling up from the beverage. "Cheers."

The others raised their cups for the toast, and Yasuo said, "Our deepest condolences to you. I couldn't imagine how difficult these last weeks have been for your family."

"It's been hard to keep up," Rukia said quietly.

"Our family would like to extend our condolences to yours, as well," Byakuya said. "I was just getting to know your granddaughter as a bright and talented individual."

"She had such a strong and vibrant spirit," Yui said with a small sigh.

Yasuo added, "She will be sorely missed."

"How is Yoshiro taking it?" Rukia asked.

"He's trying to hide the impact," Began Yasuo. "He loved each of his sisters dearly, and was especially close to Yoshiko. They would often spend hours working together, and training. I think, in some way, they both looked up to each other as role models." Pausing to take a sip of tea, he continued, "We've been planning his birthday festivities to include them both in small ways. We thought it ill-advised to attempt distracting him from their absence with excessive frivolities."

"I noticed the gate decorations on the way in," Said Rukia. "I'm sure the celebrations will be lovely."

"I do hope so," Yui said. "We've been so busy with the preparations, and may not even have much spare time today to-"

"Then we should work on establishing more frequent communication between us," Interrupted Byakuya.

"Yes! There's so much we could to to assist each other," Agreed Rukia.

"True, but such things can take time," Answered Yasuo. "Perhaps we could start with monthly meetings."

"An excellent idea," Said Byakuya. "However, in this time of need, I would suggest more frequent gatherings to strengthen the very old bonds between our houses and discuss ways of supporting each other."

" _It's subtle, but I can see the frustration growing on his face,"_ Rukia thought. "My first idea is sending Yushiro a gift basket," She suggested. "Our presence at such an intimately painful and personal time may not be possible, but I think it's important for Yushiro to know he's loved, even outside his family." " _That tiny fall of the jaw line while maintaining the smile- I got him,"_ Thought Rukia.

The knock on the door interrupted Rin's concentration. " _I thought I hung my 'Do Not Disturb' card on the door?"_ Rin thought. She got up from her desk, figuring one of her superior officers had come by with something urgent.

Opening the door, she found it was Kin Kondo. "Miss Takanade, we need to discuss a few things," Kin said as she let herself in.

"I'm open to that, but I was in the middle of something critically important. I'm going to have to ask you to come back in about an hour-"

"No!" Kin said. "When I got fired from Squad Two and the Stealth Force, it happened out of nowhere. I'm not going to let squad politics happen and flow around me without knowing what's going on ever again." Kin's slender frame and piercing green eyes were almost bursting with resolve and determination. "I've heard after the fact that you knew Yoshiko Shihoin, and had something to do with all of us getting fired- we can start with you telling me how."

Rin sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. "...There are still a number of things limiting how much I can say, but to boil it down to what I can: Yoshiko and I were enemies briefly, due to our connections to Renji Fudo. As for your firing… I was in a difficult situation. I needed to decide how much was safe to tell your former captain-"

"So they _were_ right," Kin said, frowning and folding her arms.

"There was _no_ kind of plot I had in motion whatsoever," Rin said quickly. "Someone in your old squad sent at least two separate trios to my house to watch me, and I caught your captain in the first one-"

"That's ridiculous, there's no way she would have let herself be caught!"

"If she was taking it seriously, probably not, Miss Kondo. But she had doubts of her own, and was starting to piece things together. She already knew what I had done with Fudo, but with Yoshiko, it was something different, and I wasn't ready to give everything away just then. So, I only told her a little, that our suspect was in your squad-"

"Female, and had a fire type soul cutter," Kin finished, sighing angrily.

Rin saw Kin's expression soften slightly, and she cleared her throat. "I'm sorry. I had no way to know she would fire literally everyone with those qualifications. But as far as work goes, I think you're in a good place now, and I'll be willing to offer more help, if you need it."

"Noted." Kin turned her eyes back up to Rin, an edge of suspicion glinting in them. "Now, your appointment as executioner. I wasn't at the session, but I heard and sensed some outrageous things that day that make it seem _awfully_ convenient you just happened to be-"

Rin's office door was slammed open, and an elderly man in judicial robes pointed directly at her. "There she is!"

"What's going on?!" Rin asked, as Punishment Force members quickly filed into her office and took hold of her.

"You weren't told?" The man said condescendingly. "Central Forty-Six has found you guilty of the murder of Renji Fudo."

C=={======

"Trying to work up those frequent visitor points?"

Rin's eyebrow raised up at hearing the familiar voice. "They just can't get enough of me here." The man chuckled, and Rin heard him shift on his cot. "...I'm really not sure of how things work around here anymore. I'd received my sentence and was adjusting to it, and then out of nowhere Central Forty-Six has me literally dragged back in here. I'd really thought things were starting to change."

"Systems resist change, man. That's what they're built for. Unless you overthrow Central Forty-Six this kind of thing'll keep happening over and over."

Leaning up, Rin rested on her elbows. "It wasn't about changing the system. It was about changing hearts."

The man in the cell across from Rin gave a short, bitter laugh. "Hearts can become part of a system, too…" He said quietly. Rin tried to make out his shaded features in the dim moonlight, but was still unable to.

"That's the thing: my investigation was handled by Captain-Commander Kyoraku instead of Central Forty-Six, and he gave me my sentence, too. The only comment from them I got about all this was that they began their own investigation after the Captain-Commander gave my closed case back to them- and that was on the way here."

"Ah," The man said slowly. "That would explain a few things. My guess would be the good captain went behind their backs with your case, and once they got wind of it, zoop! Back with the system. Ya know, it did seem kinda odd seeing him here a couple times."

"He wasn't trying to break me out, it was just some testing he needed to do down in the bottom level." Rin wasn't quite sure why she disclosed this to the man in the cell across the hall, but it felt right to do so.

"Oohoohoo! I'd thought it was something political with you, didn't have you down as the dangerous type."

"We're soul reapers, right? You have to have a certain capability to go anywhere with the job."

"Yeah, I know how that goes. What squad you in?"

"I was in first early on, but I've been in Squad Six for most of my career."

"Hmm. I was over in thirteenth. Something about Ukitake was always just calming. I could never say what, but he was an alright guy. I've thought it would be nice to check up on all my old squadmates when I get out."

Rin fell silent, but before long felt she had to speak. "Captain Ukitake… died at the end of the quincy invasion."

"Quincy invasion? But I personally fought with the man when that happened. He was alive when it was over."

"I'm talking about the most recent one. So many people died, but, he saved everyone left. He saved everything."

"...Wow. Things seemed so peaceful after that bit of business with the Visored. I guess a lot can change in fifty-two years, huh?"

Laughing, Rin answered, "A man from the world of the living once said 'there are decades when nothing happens, and then there are some weeks when decades happen'. It was busy when the substitute soul reaper showed up."

"Huh? I thought captain Ukitake had him sorted out."

"No, this one was Ichigo Kurosaki…" Rin began to recount what she knew of Ichigo's adventures, the light of the moon waning as the tales wore on. " _Fifty-two years… but this is one of the lower security levels… probably serving a century. People are either held here temporarily or serving a lighter sentence, from what I know…"_ Thought Rin. "Hey. You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but you mentioned you'd been here for fifty years. What exactly are you in for?" They didn't immediately respond, and Rin added, "I could tell you what I'm in for first, if you want." Not seeing the man look over or respond, Rin sighed and laid back down, adjusting the thin pad of her pillow. She had closed her eyes and begun drifting back to sleep when she heard the man speak.

"...It started back at the academy. I actually used to be pretty talented, believe it or not, and was in the advanced class. Onabara was kind of a hardass, but not just to be mean. That was the kind of teacher that really made me want to excel back then. So I got to doing pretty good, and Onabara told me about these missions that had become a sort of tradition recently for the advanced class, ones with this officer in Squad Twelve called Renji Fudo-" " _Hmm? She gasped, is she okay?"_ The man thought. "Well, turns out it wasn't actually a mission to the world of the living like I thought. There were… injections. Hollow acid, quincy blood, even-"

"I killed Renji Fudo," Rin blurted out.

"-From the… you what now? Fudo was an installation, and had networks in place. He wasn't the kind of person you could just kill with a soul cutter out of thin air."

"Well, that's kind of how I did it."

"Are you _actually_ serious right now?"

"Everyone thought it was impossible at first, but that was before they knew I used Blut Artere when I threw Mountain Bell." The man sat up, and he came to the bars of his cell door.

"...You too?" Getting up to her cell door, Rin looked at the man. His boyish features had grown thin and his hair shaggy, and he had a rough, short beard.

"There were four others with me when it happened. I tried to help them escape, but it just made things worse, and we got separated. For the longest time… I'd thought they were dead; that I was _wrong_ , and that no one could understand. But during the investigation they looked into my time at the academy, and they found the others I'd been with, and dozens more. We're… a family, now. We have each other."

"...I'd been doing solo missions for so long, I'd gotten used to using an arrow here and there instead of kido. But all it took was once. I was teamed up with two others, and the hollow got to one of 'em before I could. My other teammate was _just_ too far away to reach with a Flash Step, so I shot an arrow. It happened on instinct, and they didn't say anything about it afterwards, so I thought it was fine. And then in the middle of the night, the Stealth Force dragged me down here. I didn't even get a trial." The man hesitated for a moment, looking as if he was about to say something. When he opened his mouth to speak, however, he was interrupted by an alarm blaring through the night and Shinju dropping down through the ceiling, Crystal Edge released and in hand.

"It appears I misjudged the sophistication of the alarms. We don't have any time to waste."

"Shinju…? That- that's not a soul cutter, is it-"

"I'm not going to lose you twice!" Shinju interrupted, her voice breaking. "We don't have much time!"

Panic flooded Rin's system. She looked into Shinju's eyes, but couldn't bring herself to say the words. "Take him, instead!"

"What?" Turning around, Shinju saw the man in the cell behind her, then glanced back to Rin.

"Just trust me, take him!" A door slamming open echoed down the long hallway. "Please! I don't want to go through this knowing they got to you, too. Just go with him, Shinju!" Shinju hesitated a moment longer, then touched Crystal Edge to the man's cell door, liquefying the bars and moving them out of the way as she stepped in. With one last look back, she took the man's hand and opened up a door in the air, stepping through.

As the door in the air closed, Punishment Force members ran in and slid to a halt in front of Rin's cell. "Still here!"

"Then what triggered the alarm?! The cameras didn't catch anyone coming up the stairs!" The Punishment Force members looked at each other in confusion before one of them spoke up.

"It doesn't matter. Escape attempt or break in, whether or not she was just messing with us, we have clear orders. D.I.O. is here. Send the Hell Butterfly and take her to the hill."

C=={======

The sky was still dark, the sun not yet lightening it. In a matter of several minutes, the T shaped stand had been raised, and a large charcoal grey egg shape had been wheeled up opposite it. Rin was still processing the events of the last day as she was led to the stand and raised up it.

"We're only waiting on the administrator," Rin heard faintly from up on the stand.

"We should have had them on standby as soon as we received D.I.O.!"

"Standby or not it still isn't even close to dawn yet. Cut them some slack, they're on their way."

"What is D.I.O.?" Asked Rin, raising her voice.

"The Divine Ignition Oscillator," Said the man who'd called for having the administrator on standby. "We learned from the lessons that Twinned Punishment taught us. Heat and abrasive motion, on the molecular level- an execution parallel to the Vacuum Dome spell that will only grow stronger with each use. And it has already been used in testing."

"Look at it like this: you'll still be doing your job as executioner, even after you're gone," Said the other man who'd spoken. His words were little comfort to Rin. Execution Hill lapsed into silence again, the early morning quiet a smothering presence. D.I.O. was the only thing Rin could clearly make out. As the minutes passed, it drew her attention more and more, until she couldn't look away from it.

"I'm not ready," Rin said to herself. " _There's simply too much left to do…!"_ She thought. While her worries began to spiral out of control, she heard a commotion growing behind D.I.O.

"Lord and master!" The greeting was repeated throughout the crew, who removed the transport apparatus from around D.I.O. and moved behind it. Rin heard a low chant, and glowing cracks like burning embers and lava began to spread over D.I.O., chains of the same hue emerging from them and wrapping around her arms. The heat from them began to spread, warming her whole body. The hairs on the back of Rin's neck stood up. The light from the cracks grew and grew, forming burning fractals of light, until the shell crumbled away and day rose on Execution Hill.

Rin gasped. The light was penetrating and an unbelievably bright burning golden-white, and in the midst of it flowed a fiery phoenix, as majestic and royal as a thousand sunsets. A pure and electric fear sparked through Rin, who knew that everything she was would be totally and utterly annihilated by what hovered in front of her. Finally, after shaking out its wings, D.I.O. held still in mid-air, and opened its eyes to stare directly at Rin. The chanting stopped. Rin looked over Execution Hill in what seemed like daylight: the crew and administrator cast long and sharp shadows, D.I.O.'s light so bright the colors of their clothes was washed away; the phoenix itself, serene and magnificent, and Rin's heartbeat, which she saw visibly causing her uniform to flutter. D.I.O. let out a clear and crystal cry that struck deep into Rin, who at once began to sob. The chanting began again, and D.I.O. took wing, swaying side to side before darting straight into Rin's heart.

The instant stretched on endlessly. The heat was the light; the light was the heat. From her head to her toes she felt a vibration growing, a sensation of not only being shaken apart, but of filling, and expansion. The pain raged through her like a wildfire, swelling unceasingly as she felt her being eroding. That last and longest and most painful moment came when she looked into the administrator's violet eyes before the world faded to white.

The blinding light faded with the echo of Rin's scream. The darkness was so deep it seemed as if they had all crossed over with her, the silence a thick sea preventing breath and motion. After several disorienting moments, the administrator's vision returned. She could see light from a glowing form in front of her, and began to chant to seal D.I.O. Nothing happened. Coming back to her senses, she tried again. The result was the same, and, her sight clarifying, she witnessed that D.I.O. was gone. " _The casing is inert, and the tether is absent, so… what_ is _that?!"_ She thought, walking through the wreckage of where D.I.O. had been opened.

"This can't be real," One of the execution crew members said to themselves. With their sight coming back, they watched as the administrator ran forwards, and fell down to their knees at the body's side, flipping it over and pressing down on its chest. "It's no use!" The crew member said, standing up. "There's no way they're still alive!"

"What's going on?" Asked the member of Central 46, still blinking.

"The administrator is trying to resuscitate the corpse," One of the other crew members answered.

The member of Central 46 froze. "No. No, that can't be right…"

"What do you mean?"

"D.I.O. was designed for one hundred percent deconstruction efficiency, and had that in its testing. There shouldn't even be a pile of ash!" The shock washed over the execution crew, the bewilderment rising as their vision normalized, and they saw that the glowing form at the bottom of the charred stump of the stand was in fact Rin. Her skin was radiant like a distant galaxy, luminescent fire swimming underneath.

"Wake up wake up wake up…" The administrator repeated to themselves, still working their chest compressions. The world seemed to fade away, until it was only their heart that was beating closer towards Rin. Very softly at first, more sensed than heard, she became aware of a pleasant harmony. As the distance between her and it lessened the volume grew, until with a pulse it rang out like a bell.

Rin's eyes fluttered open, and her breathing resumed. "...Take the others, before he can-"

"He's gone. You're safe now."

"...Li'l Shin? Where are we?" Rin sat up, slowly coming to her senses. She stood, and seeing the execution crew and member of Central 46 in the light cast from her skin, the memory came rushing back in. A headache burst through her skull, and she noticed the light and fire swirling within her. "Shinju… I don't feel so good…"

" _Wait- while she's disoriented!"_ Thought the Central 46 member. "Right now: get her back into custody!" The Punishment Force members that made up the execution crew rushed forwards, but with a wave of her hand Shinju cast Push, and sent them flying backwards.

"I didn't know who it was when I got the Hell Butterfly, and by the time the Divine Ignition Oscillator was primed and ready, it was too late." Shinju sniffed, and stood up straight. "Now… you've had your chance. And I will not allow you another." Shinju's sense of danger grabbed hold of her attention, and she wrapped her arms around Rin and jumped back the instant before a massive pillar slammed into Execution Hill where she had just been standing. The bottom of the pillar opened up, and out of it stepped Ichibei Hyosube, Kirio Hikifune, and Oetsu Nimaiya.

"Definitely the glowing one," Kirio said. "Was it just her?" She asked Oetsu.

"It is quite the unexpected honor of mine to have you here, lords and lady," The Central 46 member cut in. "Though, if I might inquire, what brings you here at such an early hour?"

"A D.I.O. malfunction," Ichibei clarified. "Divine activity outside of the Spirit King's realm is something we warned you of during the weapon's development," Ichibei chided. "You should have known the potential consequences of its failure, Mister Kusakabe."

"My lord, it was tested, and worked flawlessly."

"And yet, Miss Takanade here survived." Ichibei turned to Rin, who had sunk back down to her knees, holding her head in her hands. "There is one proper place for divine activity," Ichibei said to her. "It seems Mister Kusakabe and his associates have mishandled D.I.O., so we'll require your presence temporarily while the device is sorted out."

"And the girl next to her too, guys."

"What? The Ise?" Ichibei asked, confused. "That much time hasn't passed already, if I remember correctly."

"It hasn't," Kirio and Oetsu said at the same time. They glanced at each other, and Oetsu continued, "I'm sure it's her. She's prob'ly got it concealed on her somewhere."

"No, no no no," Rin said, standing. "I'm not leaving!" Her voice echoed, and her body shined with a churning amber fire. "There's too much I have to do! I AM NOT LEAVING!"

"Things have changed since the invasion," Ichibei said. "I'm afraid you did not hear me saying _required._ Your accompaniment is not optional, Miss Takanade." Rin's light intensified, and as she took a step forwards, Ichibei flicked his finger, the shockwave snapping out and hitting Rin inbetween her eyebrows, knocking her out. "I hope you will be more understanding, Miss Ise."

"I'm staying with Rin wherever she goes."

"Wonderful!" Ichibei said with a grin. He looked back over at Kusakabe and the execution crew. "We will be making our exit as soon as the cannon arrives. Remember your duty to enact the Soul King's will."

C=={======

Shunsui looked across the table at Yasuo Shihoin, his expression stern. "There will be consequences for every minute of my time you waste. Who is it."

"An individual already known to you."

"Which one?"

"One that to my knowledge you have not interviewed for this case."

"Is the man unrelated to you?"

"Outside of this case, yes."

"Are they a Shihoin?"

"They… are… a resident of my household."

"Are they related to you by blood or adoption?"

"...No." Shunsui continued to stare at Yasuo, who had been working around the truth serum for the last hour. He had gotten little in the way of direct answers, forcing Shunsui to be slower and more unorthodox.

"Have you personally met with the man and seen him?"

"Yes."

"Describe his looks."

"His stature is not the average height. He carries himself in a professional manner, and his hair is not in an extravagant cut. There is little to no excess weight on his frame, and I have known him to be athletic and diligent with his training. His appearance instills confidence in his work. He has the face of a warrior, and a poet, or a judge. His feet are not the average size-"

"Is the man employed by your estate to do household cleaning, maintenance, or cooking tasks?"

"He serves a role that has occasionally involved cleaning."

"Does his role involve personal defense and or assassination?"

"He is a quality servant willing to take on almost whatever may be asked of him."

"Has he performed personal defense and or assassinations prior to you ordering him to do so recently."

"If he has, it was not under my order."

"What member of your household did he serve?"

Yasuo smiled. "One of my descendants."

"Child, grandchild, great-grandchild, or great-great-grandchild?"

"...One of the former."

Shunsui felt the urge to stand, but before he did so, he lied. "Thank you for your cooperation. We will adjourn for lunch, and then continue."

He motioned for Nanao and Genshiro to leave the interrogation room with him, and after they left, Genshiro leaned in to ask, "You have a good idea of who?"

"No, but 'one of the former' will constitute a short list of bodyguards, as the Shihoin don't keep Do Anything types around often. Let's put our notes back in the office and then round them up."

"Yes sir," Nanao nodded. "I'll get started on contacting the-"

"No. We'll be doing this personally," Said Shunsui, looking over at Nanao. "If Central Forty-Six gets to deploy D.I.O. in the middle of the night without prior notice, we get to clean up a case without involving the Stealth Force."

C=={======

Manabu Kuchiki sighed, relieving himself in his squad office's restroom. A man walked up to the urinal next to his, and also got started on relieving himself. "Afternoon."

Manabu nodded, trying not to make eye contact. "You too." " _Huh. Doesn't look familiar,"_ Manabu thought. "You new to Squad Five?"

"Yeah, transferred over from seven. Captain Iba was moving things around and restructuring the combat teams, and he suggested a transfer over here for a few of us."

"Ah." Manabu briefly glanced sideways at the tall man, seeing he had a dirty blonde fade. "How was Vice Captain Fudo? I've been hearing some crazy things about him lately."

"He was great. Real knowledgeable, led by example." Nodding again, Manabu finished up and worked on getting his uniform back in place. Dropping his water bottle, the blonde man whipped out a tanto and slammed it into Manabu's neck before pulling it out and raking it through the front. Quickly turning around and washing his tanto off in the sink, he stowed it away and walked out, almost bumping into a man with a green eye and a brown eye. "Just blew up the toilet, you may want to let it air out for a few minutes." Sighing, the man from Squad Five lowered his head and kept walking.

C=={======

"I haven't been able to get a hold of Akinari for a few days, otherwise he'd be here, too." Kaguya took a bite of her salad, looking across the table at Toshi Gondawara. The man had called her from Shinju's house, saying he'd been in jail for the last five decades until she'd broken him out. He'd certainly looked the part, but Kaguya hadn't fully believed him- until he brought up the experiments.

"How long have you all known each other?"

"Not long, it's only been less than a month. Some things came out during the Captain-Commander's investigation into Fudo's death, and when he interviewed me, he'd found so many more that had been a part of the experiments. And some of us haven't wanted to come forwards. Can't really say I blame them for that; we've all taken it a little differently."

Toshi nodded and took a sip of his drink. "Being thrown in a cage does have a way of changing ya. I saw some guys come in saints and leave animals, and the reverse, too." Winking, Toshi said, "I was somewhere inbetween. All I really ended up figuring out was that each day, I had a choice: anger, or forgiveness. And I'd cycle between them. Sometimes over years, or weeks, or hours."

After finishing his bite, Jin asked, "So what do you have planned now?"

"I'm just gonna take it slow, maybe get back into training or take a job somewhere outside the walls. If what you guys are saying is true, then heck, I might even turn myself in and try to go the legal route." Jin gave a chuckle at that, his eyebrow raised in questioning. "I know, I know. But three squares plus some peace and quiet is a better vacation than you guys probably get most of the time."

"Now _that's_ the truth," Kaguya said with a laugh.

"But seriously, though: do you think I have a shot?" Toshi asked Jin and Kaguya.

"Ten, or maybe even five years ago, I would have said no," Answered Jin. "But when Kurosaki came in… a lot of things got shaken up. Now, I think, with the quincy mostly out of the picture, you'd have a pretty good chance."

"Good. That's good." Toshi smiled warmly.

C=={======

Yushiro kneeled in front of the sacred shrine. He silently beheld the legacy of his ancestors, the Imperial Soldier Garments having their own light that glowed in the midnight shadows. " _I was strong, but my arms just haven't been the same… my sister, and her bodyguard… this all rests on me now,"_ Thought Yushiro. " _Peace, and balance. Think. Look through everything. How am I a part of it?"_ Yushiro closed his eyes, remembering all he could of his family's history. " _Cycles. War and peace, but never balance… they say I'm the new way. What_ is _the new way? Think, think..."_ The hours flowed past Yushiro, his mind searching and seeking. " _Balance. I think it'll be up to me to be the balance. If I am the only way forwards, then I will bring this age to an end-"_ His thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of someone approaching him on the path behind.

"Master Yushiro! Will you be taking breakfast with the family this morning?"

"...No." Yushiro fixed his eyes on the ground, and stood, stretching out his legs. "Misses Fukuda. You've been working very hard lately. It is my wish for you to at once take your family on a day trip to the Court of Pure Souls."

"That is very generous, Master Yushiro. Are you sure it will be acceptable? My morning routines aren't yet finished."

"It will be acceptable. There will be no marks against you for leaving them today, Misses Fukuda."

"Very well then. Many thanks, Master Yushiro. I will leave you to your meditations."

Sighing, Yushiro waited for his servant's steps to fade away before he closed his eyes in concentration. " _Set with alarms. But they're forgetting who knows the kido to undo them,"_ Yushiro thought. Making a hand seal, he began chanting. A growing sense of urgency filled him, and he became more aware of his surroundings. " _There. And now for the one on the stands holding it…"_ The second incantation was much longer, but in the moment, it seemed shorter than the first to Yushiro. Upon completion, he took a deep breath, and stepped into the shrine. As he put the ancient suit of battle regalia on, he found it loose at first- but, almost without him noticing, it adjusted its size to fit properly. " _This seems so modern, despite its age…"_ Yushiro thought as he donned the shimmering golden dou. As he put on more and more of the armor, his confidence built. Finally, putting on the kabuto, he leaned down and picked up his soul cutter, and Flash Stepped far away into the air outside the estate grounds. "Dawn, Southern Phoenix!" Yushiro tossed his soul cutter into the air, where it hovered and took the form of a roiling sphere of golden-red flames with a bright flash. Raising his pointer finger, the size of the sphere increased, until it was the size of a small house. _"Forgive me…"_ Thought Yushiro. Southern Phoenix swelled in size as Yushiro pointed and speeded it towards the Shihoin estate with a shout.

Everyone within the walls of Soul Society heard it. The oppressive roar bulldozed every nearby building and shattered windows even farther out, the smoke and debris rising up in a mushroom cloud. "Bo… what's the sun doing inside that mushroom cloud?" Yukino Shihoin asked fearfully.

Removing his wrap-around sunglasses, Bo Han answered, "That's no sun." As Yukino began to back away, the "sun" grew in size, approaching. With a startling speed, the globe of fire coursed in, Bo jumping in front of it, attempting to hold it back. "Run, Miss Shihoin! I don't know how much longer I can hold it!" Yukino did think to flee, but the shock as she recognized the fireball for what it was rooted her feet to the ground as it burned past Bo's hands, expanding and blasting away a wing of Squad Eleven's barracks.

With the senses bestowed by the Imperial Soldier Garments, Yushiro could feel them all around. " _That's another here, close by,"_ He thought. Waving his hand, he sent Southern Phoenix streaking to the spot, spreading his fingers and detonating Southern Phoenix on impact.

In his office, Kenpachi Zaraki sighed. "I wish I could say it's been a while since these kind of disturbances kept butting into my paperwork."

"You can say that again," Tamina said as she laid her stack of files on Kenpachi's desk. "First it was the execution session, and then that enormous flare during the all-nighter…"

"But this one's on my squad's grounds," Kenpachi said, shaking his head. "Tamina, go take care of it, if you can. I'll stay here and try to finish things unless you need backup."

"Yes sir!" Bowing, Tamina unlatched the window door and swung it open, drawing her soul cutter as she jumped out. " _Moving across towards Twelve!"_ Tamina noted. "Shred, Kappa!" In a burst of sea-blue liquid light, Kappa shifted into a razor-edged tortoise shell buckler, and Tamina Flash Stepped away. " _Getting hotter by the moment! Stay ready…"_ Going her fastest, she slowly caught up to the massive fireball. " _Beneath that… that can't be what it looks like, can it? I've only seen that in history books, but… there's nothing else that looks like it!. Who…?!"_ The glowing golden warrior seemed to take no notice of her, skipping across the sky unconcerned. Uncomfortably hot, Tamina put on on a burst of speed to get ahead. ''Stop!" She demanded, raising Kappa.

Yushiro slowed, but did not stop, and shrank Southern Phoenix down to a more manageable size, slinging it towards Tamina. "OPPOSE ME AND YOU'LL BECOME A REMNANT OF THE OLD ERA," He spoke, his voice magnified and reverberating throughout the air.

" _BRING IT ON!_ " Adrenaline surged through Tamina and she braced herself for Southern Phoenix's impact. The initial shock of heat and force took her by surprise, knocking her back over the skyline of Squad Twelve's grounds as Kappa dissipated some of the flames into a massive splash of water. Gritting her teeth, Tamina angled Kappa and twisted away from Southern Phoenix, springing past and towards Yushiro.

He was ready and rushed down, calling Southern Phoenix back as he flew in with a side kick. The boot was blocked; as Tamina spun around it for a slash with Kappa's edge Yushiro stepped on her shoulder, flipping over her as he shrank Southern Phoenix down further and used his flip to whip it back. Shaken by the kick, Tamina was unable to brace properly for Southern Phoenix as it rocketed in. The impact rattled through her, making a shockwave that sliced through the clouds and buildings below as she was sent hurtling back over Squad Twelve's buildings.

" _More approaching to intervene,"_ Yushiro noted. " _But she is near. The moment is now!"_ Enlarging Southern Phoenix, Yushiro drew his arm behind him, pulling several blades of fire out of the globe and directing them at the soul reapers pursuing him. Taken by surprise, the blades ran through them, exploding across the squad's skyline like paint flicked from a brush. " _Finally!"_ "RUKIA KUCHIKI, THIS WILL END NOW. COME OUT." Yushiro only had to wait a moment over Squad Thirteen's office before she emerged.

Squinting, Rukia Flash Stepped up across from the impossible figure. " _It couldn't be anyone outside of their family. No one else would know where to find it,"_ Rukia reasoned. "I'm not here to bargain! There is only one way left for you after everything you've done!"

"I WAS THINKING SIMILARLY. YOU SEE, MISSES KUCHIKI, YOU WILL DIE TODAY. BUT YOU ALSO HAVE A CHOICE."

"What kind of choice is death?! That's all your clan has given mine! When I implied death, I meant-"

"CHOICE ONE: DIE, AND BECOME A PILE OF ASH, ALONG WITH YOUR SQUAD," Yushiro interrupted. "CHOICE TWO: TRADE YOUR LIFE IN EXCHANGE FOR THE IMPERIAL SOLDIER GARMENTS. I WON'T ACCEPT ALTERATIONS TO THE TERMS, AND AM DEMANDING AN ANSWER IN THE NEXT FEW MOMENTS."

The shock was so thorough Rukia briefly lost her traction in midair. " _But... I'm a mother now. Ichika, and maybe… But the rest of my family- we can't let this keep going on. I can't choose either one…!"_ Thought Rukia.

"I GUESS YOU'VE CHOSEN INACTION, THEN. I CAN ONLY HOPE YOUR FAMILY FORGIVES YOU."

Rotating her soul cutter in front of her, Rukia called out, "Dance, Sleeves of White Snow!" The rush of chilly air swirled Rukia's hair around, and she took a steadying breath. "Second Dance: White Ripple!" Dipping Sleeves of White Snow into the air at her feet, Rukia took up the stance as ice crystals floated up, then unleashed her strongest swing. It sent a vast avalanche of cold air sweeping towards Yushiro. He brought Southern Phoenix down in front him, increasing its size as White Ripple met it with a sharp hiss.

"SOUTHERN PHOENIX GETS HOTTER THE STRONGER MY OPPONENT IS, MISSES KUCHIKI. IF I WAS UNARMORED, PERHAPS THAT WOULD HAVE WORKED. I'M ASSUMING YOU KNOW WHAT THE IMPERIAL SOLDIER GARMENTS ARE CAPABLE OF?"

"They lend divine strength to the wearer, enhancing all their abilities, et cetera, et cetera. But you should know," Said Rukia, settling down into a ready stance, "A mother's will is something even the Soul King could never touch!" Yushiro laughed, and condensed Southern Phoenix as he ran in. As fast as she could, Rukia prepared another White Ripple. Instead of releasing it she kept it connected to Sleeves of White Snow, whipping it around as Yushiro attempted to get in melee range. " _Still so agile despite the armor! I need to slow him down,"_ Rukia thought. Like a curtain being lifted, she became aware of Southern Phoenix's approach, and had to Flash Step out of the way. "Slithering Restrain!" Yushiro was able to weave around White Ripple, but was caught by the electric golden rope of Slithering Rope, and felt a slight pain between his shoulder blades as his arms were pulled behind him. Rukia wasted no time in beginning the incantation. "Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six! Way of Binding: Six Rods Prison of Light!" Her pointer finger sparking with light, the beams shot out and circled Yushiro's waist. Beginning the dance for White Ripple , Rukia chanted, "Black turtle, entwining chill. Ninth circle and final temptation, sever your anchor and break loose from the dream! Second Dance of Destruction: White Ripple, Glacier Vapor Storm!" Rukia swung with all her might, a titanic and explosive torrent of ice and snow blasting forth from Sleeves of White Snow.

Yushiro smiled, and closed his eyes as the white wall slammed into him. Rather than bursting through, his Flash War Cry sprung out from the Imperial Soldier Garments, taking the form of feathery wings of fire and flaming talon-like gauntlets. He thrust his now freed hands forwards, unleashing a torrid torrent of flames that melted and evaporated Rukia's massive combination attack in front of him. He closed the gap with a Flash Step and sent Rukia crashing down through the barracks of Squad Thirteen with an axe kick, calling Southern Phoenix back to his hands, shrinking it down as he gave it more power. It glowed white hot, shining brightly, and with a yell Yushiro propelled it forwards with a blast from his Flash War Cry. Rukia's eyes growing wide, she groaned and hurriedly thrust her palm up, casting the Airtight kido. Southern Phoenix levelled the the rest of the barrack building with the shockwave of its impact, and in a short nightmare that stretched on and on, it cracked and broke through. Rukia closed her eyes, and prepared for the worst.

"Drink, Weather-Beaten One." Rukia cracked open her eyes: the light was silhouetting a large figure and their weapon, who grunted and stumbled back towards her slightly.

"Zaraki?" With a huff, Kenpachi was able to redirect Southern Phoenix, flinging it away.

"If you want, I can take it from here. I need to teach that kid a lesson or two."

Grimacing, Rukia pushed herself up. "No. I can't sit back for this."

"Alright. Just keep an eye out; looks like this may get a bit messy." Kenpachi leapt up, Southern Phoenix flying in from his side. Swinging Weather-Beaten One to the side, the huge cleaver split the orb in two- only for it to reform soon after on his other side. Yushiro swung it back towards Kenpachi as he spun away from Tamina, and Rukia Flash Stepped up to their side. Bursting open, Southern Phoenix reversed direction to Tamina, Yushiro Flash Stepping over to Rukia. Tamina deflected the fireball behind her with a shout, racing through the air to flank Yushiro as his captain engaged and Rukia dodged his kick.

The clash gained speed, the three dodging each other and doing their best to avoid direct contact with Yushiro and Southern Phoenix. It almost resembled ping-pong at some points, with Tamina deflecting Southern Phoenix back towards Kenpachi, who would smash it away. " _There! Facing the captain, and angling away from her binding kido…!"_ Observed Tamina, zeroing in on the back of Yushiro's legs. She used her fastest Flash Step, angling Kappa's razor edge at his unarmored knee joint. At the very last moment Yushiro's Flash War Cry wings sparked and the intensely pressurized kido ruptured with a gigantic explosion. Tamina was able to cover her head, but couldn't shield herself fully from the blast.

"Captain Zaraki! I need you to take a hit," Rukia whispered to him as they crossed paths. Chanting the incantation under her breath, she held out her palm and then drew it back into a fist as Southern Phoenix sped towards Kenpachi, who took up a stance for a two-handed swing as the fireball connected, bursting out. " _There! A smaller size after an explosion!"_ Thought Rukia. "Ethereal Binding Chain!" Thick golden links of light flowed forwards, the chain snaking around the burning sphere. Rukia grunted and yanked it back, pulling it out of Kenpachi's way. Though the front of his uniform was burned away and charred, he appeared unimpressed, and swung Weather-Beaten One in a wide arc. The attack was accompanied by a crack of thunder from the air being split, and though Yushiro meant to leap over it, the shockwave caught his foot and sent flipping head over heels towards Kenpachi. Mixing incantations again, Rukia cast Ethereal Binding Chain, and anchored it to her squad's grounds with the Triple-Flash Beak Slash binding kido, the three golden beaks sinking into the earth.

"Time to find out how tough that shiny suit of yours really is," Kenpachi said. Keeping his two-handed grip, he brought Weather-Beaten One overhead and down in a vicious slash. The edge made direct contact, scoring a shallow cut to the dou and knocking Yushiro to the ground like a meteorite. "Huh. Still in one piece." Then, in rapid succession, two things happened.

Glowing white-hot and expanding, Southern Phoenix strained against Rukia's binding kido, the ground shaking. Yushiro yelled loudly, and with a massive explosion, Southern Phoenix burst free. While this happened, behind Yushiro the air split open, light spilling out from it; as the crack widened a large staircase came into view, with Rin and Shinju sprinting down it. "Rin…! Remember that worst case scenario you talked about?" Shinju asked, breathless.

"I was just joking when I brought up the Imperial Soldier Garments!" As Rin focused her senses on Yushiro, though, something became abundantly clear. "Captain Zaraki, Captain Kuchiki! I have a plan, and need you to keep him occupied!" Rin spoke directly to Rukia and Kenpachi.

"Takanade? Thought you were dead," Kenpachi asked.

"I almost was. Stay focused!" Rin began to Flash Step down the immense stairs, a low hum spreading as Rin's Blut Artere technique emerged and wrapped around her limbs. The hum became an ethereal song that faded in and out, soaring through Rin as the long white shawl of her King's Key clothing flapped in the breeze. She looked over to Shinju and nodded, taking one last Flash Step out to Yushiro's side. Southern Phoenix was slowly rising, its size and heat still increasing. Kenpachi ran in again, staying close and using shallow cuts, keeping Weather-Beaten One in melee range. Yushiro was able to push back to some degree using kicks and knee strikes, always angling to the side and heading up. Rukia joined in, using Sleeves of White Snow's White Sword dance to needle in thrusts from outside the immediate reach of Yushiro's Flash War Cry. " _Constant pressure,"_ Rin noted, before being startled. " _That sphere… that wasn't a kido of his, that's his soul cutter! He's working to get back to it…"_ "Shinju! I'm going to head to that fireball- create a barrier below me!" Her Blut Artere beginning to glow a fiery golden red, a euphoric rush of energy flowed through Rin. Shades of contact with D.I.O. flickered through her mind. With a mighty shout, Rin channeled her power through her Blut Artere and into Southern Phoenix. It happened slowly at first, but with an exponentially increasing speed Southern Phoenix began to dissolve, until it reached a critical point and exploded, going nova like the sun it resembled.

"Fourth Heavenly Gate: Wisdom!" Having created the second door above the flaming orb, when it frayed and burst, the gargantuan blast of incendiary energy was sucked into the door below Rin and shot up like a laser until it was out of sight, scattering the clouds like flower petals. The momentary distraction was all Kenpachi needed. He unleashed another brutal two handed swing that sent Yushiro crashing down, and Rukia Flash Stepped underneath him.

" _That last one loosened the bindings! It's not much, but this may be the only chance I have!"_ Her focus concentrated one hundred percent on the small sliver of a gap in the back of the Imperial Soldier Garments, Rukia thrust Sleeves of White Snow forwards and called, "White Sword!" The attack held true, piercing the gap and pushing through between Yushiro's shoulder blades. His cough came out a puff of white as he felt the sharp chill spread through his chest. Rukia lowered him to the ground, and withdrew Sleeves of White Snow. "NOW! Quickly!" She started by removing the kabuto, and soon Kenpachi and Rin and Shinju were hurriedly stripping the Imperial Soldier Garments off of Yushiro. A few panicked moments later, it was done.

Rin looked up around at the devastation that had already taken place before her arrival. Fires and splinters scattered everywhere, building pulled apart like wet paper bags. "...How long had this been going on?"

"Just this morning," Rukia said to Rin. "I'm not sure what would be left if this had started earlier or kept on."

"There's a lot of repair work to be done. Speaking of which…" In a few heartbeats, Kenpachi vanished and then reappeared with Tamina unconscious over his shoulder. The back of her uniform was gone, her back and legs badly burned. "I have some things to handle back at my squad. Be seein' you ladies later." Turning, Kenpachi left with a leap.

Shinju saw the mixed emotions playing out over Rukia's face, and drew Crystal Edge and released it. She touched the naginata's blade to Yushiro's chest, and a thick whoosh of steam escaped from his mouth. He took a few shallow breaths before coughing, blood staining his lips. "I… would understand if you did. And maybe…" Yushiro said quietly, his voice hoarse. A few tears welled up and escaped from the corners of his eyes. "I- I don't have anything left, now… Nothing…"

Rukia bent down and picked up Sleeves of White Snow, hesitating for a moment as she held it over Yushiro. Swallowing, she sealed and sheathed it. "If you have nothing left, then my work is done. Whether you get your wish or not is up to the executioner." Sighing, Rukia looked away and walked off, directing members of her squad she saw in the distance.

Shinju and Yushiro looked to Rin expectantly. "...Not here," She said gently. "But if the time comes for me to do it… I will." Taking a slow breath, Rin looked over to Shinju. "For now, let's take him over to Squad Four." Nodding, Shinju snapped her fingers and cast the Magic Carpet kido. The scarlet rectangle of energy lifted Yushiro into the air, and after Rin and Shinju stepped onboard, it whisked them away.

C=={======

Rin sighed at hearing the knock. She was about to get up to answer it when it opened, and Kin Kondo let herself in. "You know, I thought I'd understood a little more after the last time we talked," Kin said, leaning against the wall next to Rin's office door. "But now I just have more questions. _So_ many more: why did Central Forty-Six arrest you out of nowhere when the Captain-Commander handled your case, why did they try to execute you in the middle of the night, how did you survive your execution, what was that pillar and where did you go after your execution, how did you get back, why did you show up out of the blue with the Shihoin heir at Squad Four, how did-"

"Slow down, one question at a time." Rin took a deep breath, and looked Kin in the eye. "As far as my new job goes, which I think is where we left off last time… well, it took me a little while to understand it, but I think Captain-Commander Kyoraku appointed me as executioner because-"

"Executioner Takanade?" Rin's office door opened, revealing an Inner Court Guard member. "The Captain-Commander says the crew is ready and that you're needed for a session this afternoon."

Checking the digital clock on her desk, Rin frowned. "I'll be on my way. Thank you for delivering the message."

"What? No, I'm not letting this happen again!" Kin objected as Rin walked past her.

"Then come with me," Rin said over her shoulder. "My process isn't anything unusual, and you should have your question answered at some point during the session." Kin sighed angrily, and followed Rin out of Squad Six's main office.

"I actually had plans for this afternoon," Kin said as they began to Flash Step towards Execution Hill.

"I did too," Answered Rin. "But as I was told, 'when it's time to work, you will work'."

"But, this is like a hobby, your 'side hustle', as I heard someone say."

"Ha. If this was just my 'side hustle', then I wouldn't feel so much like a slave."

Kin raised an eyebrow at that, and looked up ahead towards Execution Hill. "Shouldn't we be heading up to the top?"

"My 'office' is actually under the hill," Explained Rin. It was only several more moments later that they arrived, Rin leading Kin to the secret entrance of the training ground under Execution Hill.

"This is your office? It could use some decoration." In spite of herself Rin chuckled briefly, and skipped down the rocky cliffs and over the boulders towards the hot springs. She removed her elite's jacket and folded it, laying it down on one of the rocks near the pool. "Really? Right now?"

"Just getting ready. I come in here to wash up and relax afterwards," Said Rin, taking out her "EXECUTIONER" armband and tying it on. "I've spent more time down here unwinding than up top working, actually."

"That rough, huh?"

"I also train like I'm aiming to be the next Kenpachi," Rin added cooly. "Executioners don't make many friends." She glanced at Kin, saying, "Let's head back up and see where things are at." Kin shrugged, and followed Rin out and up to the top of Execution Hill.

"Ma'am!" Called out one of the Punishment Force members of the execution crew.

"How many today?" Rin asked the man, walking over.

"One run of six. Doing it single file, or grouped?"

"Grouped, today. No need to drag this out."

" _It's like they're ordering takeout,"_ Thought Kin, looking back and forth between Rin and her crew member as they went over the details of the session. " _It's still only a little after lunch. Why does she already look so tired?"_

"The Captain-Commander will be officiating today, but he's not here yet."

"Should be soon!" Another member of the execution crew added as they walked by.

Rin nodded, and turned to Kin. "Why don't you take a spot at the head of the hill? I'll just be using Mountain Bell, so you won't need to worry about dodging anything."

Kin shrugged, and walked down to the narrow end of the hill, turning to face Rin. " _Looking even more tired. At least some of that was exasperation, at first,"_ Observed Kin, who watched as Rin stuck Mountain Bell's tip into the ground and rested her hands on the pommel, closing her eyes. " _Trying to stay casual, and calm- deflecting pressure. She certainly has a lot to explain and hide. Or does she? After her first session on the job, at least some of that was exposed…"_ Kin's analysis continued, weighing her suspicions against the weight she saw settling in on Rin's shoulders. Her focus was such that she almost didn't notice when Shunsui arrived.

"Seems as if everything's ready to go," Said Shunsui, his gaze sweeping over Execution Hill.

"We're ready when you are, sir."

"Alright. We're a little ahead of schedule, but there's no sense in just killing time." Shunsui glanced around at the crew and cleared his throat. "That was unintentional, my apologies."

"Executioner Takanade!" One of the execution crew members called. "Are you ready?"

"Ready."

"Bring in the group of prisoners!" The damned were marched out from the tower, several moments later being unchained and forced to their knees in a row in front of Rin.

" _The dirty blond with the fade… she just looked away from him; focusing on one of the women, turning to them. Strong and sharp features, kinda handsome. A former lover, or squadmate?"_ Kin wondered. Rin halted her first swing just short of the man's neck, and Kin noted a faint wetness in Rin's eyes and tremble in her hand as she drew back Mountain Bell. The man made eye contact with Kin, and then closed his eyes as Mountain Bell severed his head. Rin stood still as the execution crew moved around her clearing the bodies. She closed her eyes as she rested her hands on Mountain Bell's pommel, the execution crew finishing their work and leaving, the cries of the executed's family members fading away. Shunsui sighed, and then turned to leave, and Kin decided to go with him.

Rin opened her eyes and looked into Kin's as she passed by, tears welling out and streaming down her cheeks. "Do you understand, now?"


	15. BONUS CHAPTER! Bankai for Everyone!

"What? I'm alive?" Katsumi Kuchiki wondered, looking down at herself. "Dang. And I feel pretty good, too."

"Yeah. Looks like everyone that died is back for this bonus chapter," Zenzo said.

"Huh? What do you mean, bonus chapter?"

"Ah, well since the author once saw a helpful story that was mainly a resource list of powers get taken down, I heard he's doing this to avoid that for this story."

"Better dead than deleted, I guess."

"Ha! I second that emotion. Hey, why don't we head on over and say hello to everyone? There are a lot of people here we haven't seen in a while or that we normally wouldn't talk to."

"Sure. Let's go talk to the main characters, first." Zenzo looks over his shoulder at you and winks. "Spoilers ahead if you skipped from the first chapter!"

"Hmm, Kuchiki? Which ones?" Jin asked with a grin.

"Zenzo and Katsumi." Zenzo shook Jin's hand, and did so with Rin and Shunsui and Akinari and Kaguya. "How have you guys been since the story ended?" He asked.

"Things have stabilized some," Rin said. "I haven't been arrested again, and I'm still working as executioner. I've gotten a bit better at deflecting paperwork, so all the things Sakura did aren't automatically pushed onto me."

"Yeah, we've been meeting about once every other week to catch up," Jin said. "Of course, it's hard being a rock star. Rin is kind of the elephant in the room whenever she has time off, but the rest of us get treated reasonably well."

"And what about you?" Katsumi asked Shunsui.

"I'm trying to keep things cool and appearing normal. Those 'serious consequences' Central Forty-Six threatened me with early on turned out to only be barring the protection squads from conducting internal investigations- but apparently they forgot us and the Stealth Force have a link. So, Squad Two handles even more of what they used to."

"Figures. Are we ready to get started? I heard the author was going to give everyone a bankai."

"Well, everyone who doesn't already have one," Akinari corrected. "So that would be me, Jin, and Kaguya out of us here."

"Wait…" Yoshiko said, suspicious. "Shouldn't that be four of you? I know Takanade had some sort of… bankai, vollstandig thingy, but what about Ise?"

"I did too, of course," Answered Shinju. "I only had to deal with low-level clowns, so there wasn't much I could have done with magic that-"

"Excuse me, did you just refer to my _brother_ as a low-level clown?!" Yoshiko asked

"Um, perhaps I misspoke. You see, despite wearing the Imperial Soldier Garments, his arms still weren't at full power, and he was occupied with high-level combatants, so…" Shinju trailed off, glancing around the group.

"It's still pretty crazy, though," Zenzo said, running his hand through his afro. "I heard you had a soul cutter, but you're a magician first."

"Ha! You see, since I had no need to spend time bonding with Crystal Edge, I only needed to work up and master the process of bringing out my bankai. It took several decades- a much shorter time than usual, but still much faster than the traditional way." Shinju beamed proudly, lifting her chin.

"Oh! That looks like the author up on the steps," Rin said, glancing over.

"Wait, is he seriously doing a self-insert in a segment with no fourth wall and medium awareness?" Kaguya asked.

"Huh, he kind of looks like Renji…"

"The one from The Land of Funk or this story?" Kaguya asked Yoshiko.

"I think he resembles the Dubious Mechanic from-"

"I don't think the reader has time for us to go over each of his avatars," Shunsui interrupted. He turned to the steps of Squad One's main office, where Uskius stood up tall and cleared his throat.

"Attention, everyone! You're all here? Good. Now, as some of you may know, I have an over-active imagination, and created a bankai for each character that battled, even though most of you only got to use your shikai- and even soul cutters for a few of the other named characters that didn't battle."

"But what if we're not strong enough to use bankai?" Ohta Kuchiki asked, raising her hand.

"That'll be taken care of," Uskius said with a wave of his hand. "So don't worry about that."

"Hey! I just had a thought: what about your own soul cutter?" Asked Katsumi. "I mean, I would definitely give myself a bankai if I was doing this."

"Good question. Well, first I had Sharpshooter back with This Story Is Now Diamonds, but then after a while once I had moved away from that I made up a new one." Uskius reached down to his uniform sash, and pulled the scabbard out, holding it up. "This is Apocalypse. I won't be busting it out here in the bonus chapter, but I have made my own, to answer your question."

"BOO!" Katsumi jeered. "Depriving us of the chance to fight a reality-warper with a soul cutter named Apocalypse? Boo to you, sir. That would've been cooler than the end of the story- which was pretty crap, by the way- and been way more exciting."

"Well, fine. I'll go last, and then we can have some kind of tournament or something. Now!" Uskius tucked Apocalypse back into his uniform sash, and raised his voice. "I will raise all of your potential to bankai level and give you the instinctive knowledge to do so, and then you'll all release your swords and then explain them to one another. Ready? One, two, three!" Snapping his fingers, a translucent wave of power radiated out from Uskius, sweeping over the crowd in front of Squad One. The change wasn't visible, but everyone could feel it, and grinned.

"This… this feels amazing!" Said Kaguya, looking over at Rin.

"So what is your soul cutter like?" Rin asked. "I think the author mentioned it was named Silver Beam when we were tested for Blut Artere, but that's all I know about it."

"Ah, you see, Uskius wanted us five's soul cutters to be based around energy and manipulating it in various forms," Kaguya explained. "Silver Beam seems like it manipulates time to most people, but really, it just enhances my speed and slows their perception of it by drawing on their spiritual energy. Here." Pulling the wakizashi from its sheath, Kaguya took up a low ready stance and called, "Rise, Silver Beam!" Silver Beam's blade didn't lengthen, but it straightened out into a bamboo cutter with a serrated edge and heavy habaki that went up the spine a short ways, and a flat, rounded oval pommel that angled down and had a rabbit's foot attached to it. "Can you feel it? It's slowly drawing in the energy of everyone around me."

"WOW, this is trippy," Jin said.

"Then check this out. Gleaming Stalk!" Kaguya poked Jin's shoulder, and he froze up in shock briefly.

"Huh? You were standing to the left a little bit ago."

"See? Gleaming Stalk halts the flow of energy temporarily- but even moreso with my bankai. Speaking of which- bankai!" In a burst of ethereal silvery sparkles Kaguya's bankai appeared around her, energy streaming from her head in long rabbit-like ears, coating her in a reflective ghostly silver. The simple bamboo cutter became a guandao, with three rings on the blade's spine and a low L-shaped crossguard with silver hair fixed on its bottom, and a rabbit's foot pommel.

"Dang. That's beautiful," Jin said.

"And now, since my bankai- named Rabbit Empress- increases my power, it has the energy flow/time stopping effect all the time on contact."

"That seems a little overpowered," Yoshiko said.

"Well, yeah it is strong, but every bankai is a game-changer. I could still be beaten if my opponent was fast or strong enough, though." Yoshiko nodded, and Kaguya continued, "It has one more ability- Lunar Forest. That command can cause spikes of silver energy to stick out from any surface in the area."

"Slows down time _and_ can attack from a distance? Screw that," Yoshiko said. Turning to Rin, she asked, "Speaking of overpowered, your soul cutter doesn't have any real weaknesses, either. It seemed like it could just do anything."

"Well, Mountain Bell doesn't really leave me open to attack one on one, true, but it also doesn't really have any multi-target or significant ranged abilities," Rin said with a shrug. "I have to be in close or mid range to be effective offensively. So, baseline, it resonates with spiritual energy it comes into contact with. Once I have a good read on the resonance, it can do a few different things in shikai: refine the resonance for increased defense, which is called, oddly enough, Resonance; take on an opposing 'frequency' for increased offensive power- that's Dissonance- or, take on a 'frequency' that's more disruptive than harmful to disorient my opponent, which is Echo. Since Mountain Bell is based on, well, mountain bells, it can also have an Undertone and Overtone going at the same time. And then, lastly, there's Peal, which is a burst of resonance I use for offense."

"Yeah, I got how your shikai works pretty well," Yoshiko said. "But it's your bankai that I was really talking about doing anything."

"My vollstandig can't quite 'do anything'," Explained Rin. "It just looks like that because I'm the main character and highly proficient with it by the time the story starts. Basically, what it does is extend the range of the resonance, and refine my control over it, which can take one of twelve forms, since Divine Mountain Bell has twelve rings like a Buddha's sounding staff."

"Twelve is still a lot."

"Ha! True, but the effects are limited to the people it's resonating with," Said Rin. "So if Divine Mountain Bell was resonating with you and I used Peal while Kaguya was standing next to you, it'd only affect you. And about the twelve, well- I won't go all the way into detail, but the rings are based on the Buddhist twelve-fold chain of cause and effect. I can do some useful things such as completely disappear from someone it's resonating with with the First Ring, but I'm limited to the twelve only, and the different rings are less powerful the more I have in effect. Does that explain things better?"

"A little."

"And what about yours? The author went for a 'show, not tell' angle that left a lot of things unclear."

"Well, it's pretty simple: Sword of Gathering Flames give me control of heat and fire within my spiritual pressure."

"That's it? Like, just carte blanche control?" Akinari asked.

"Pretty much. The effects are limited by my focus, though. And besides the basic control, I have the Finishing Stroke technique, which brings all the heat into the blade for a few strikes."

"That's just stupidly busted," Jin said. "And that's not even your bankai."

"I wasn't lying when I claimed I had the strongest since Yamamoto's," Yoshiko said with a smug smirk. "As for my bankai, things that didn't get covered were the number of tails I had would indicated how much power I had left- so nine at full strength,, six at two thirds strength, and so on, and removing one prematurely results in a massive explosion. One thing that also might not have been clear is that Heavenly Sword of Gathering Flames also allows me to create fiery mirages. Finally, the aura is released from my blade, instead of my spiritual pressure."

"Hmm…" Rin held her chin and thought for a moment. "Well then. What about you, Akinari?"

"First, I have to say this'll be a fairly massive spoiler for anyone that wasn't paying close attention to the story." Rin rolled her eyes, and sighed. "My soul cutter is White Mirror, and takes the form of two tanto when sealed."

"So it's a dual blade type?" Shinju asked, eyebrow raised.

"Correct. When released, it becomes two hook swords. One manipulates a repulsive force, and the other an attractive force; I can choose which does which once I release it, but not after- so I'd have to swap hands once it's out. Its other ability is Ebb and Flow, which lets me change the gravitational directions of objects; Ebb attracts, and Flow repulses. I would change by touching the object with one sword, and pointing where wanted the new direction to be, and I couldn't just point up at the sky, before you ask. And my bankai? Here we go: _bankai!_ " There was a dense swirl of starry energy, and when it faded Akinari was wearing to massive gauntlets that had hook swords for fingers, with the crescents on the back of the hand and thumb, and spikes on the knuckles.

"Does that just let you cut hair?" Yoshiko asked sarcastically.

"Keep your Edward Scissorhands references to yourself, thank you very much. So this, this is Starry Tide. Let's see… aha! Its Ebb and Flow is enhanced, and it can create a different anchor point with each blade- so up to ten- and it can still manipulate attractive and repulsive forces like White Mirror. It can also eliminate the effect of gravity with a strike called Sail-"

"Doo-doo-doo doo-doo-doo doo, doo, doo doo-doo."

"The Sail reference wasn't appreciated either," Akinari said to Yoshiko. "Starry Tide's final ability is one called Drown, which lets me simulate a small black hole."

"Black hole?" Asked Shinju, blinking. "Like, event horizon, Hawking radiation and Schwarzchild radius and everything?"

"Not in that much detail. Drown affects allies too, so I would have to be very careful about how I use it. And what about yours, Shinju? Yours seemed a whole lot more of a 'do anything' kind than Rin's."

"That's because it is." Yoshiko sighed, and Shinju continued, "My soul cutter only has one ability: to change the state of matter in contact with it, and manipulate that matter."

"That's _bullshit!_ " Yoshiko shouted. "How in the Hell is that fair?!"

"To put it simply: it isn't. However, like your own, the scope is limited by my focus, which prevents me from limitless potential with it. I also can't maintain the manipulation for too long."

"So what does the bankai do?"

"Heavenly Jeweled Spear extends the blade's effect into the surrounding area, and also increases my mental capabilities slightly. The biggest change is that I can use G.Q. plasma as a state of matter with my bankai. As far as the looks go, it's still a naginata with the same design, but constructed from jewels and precious stones."

"Ridiculous," Kaguya said quietly, shaking her head. "Your soul cutter is more normal, right, Jin?"

"Yeah. I've always thought of it as boring, but it hasn't let me down when I really needed it." With a quick smile, Jin drew it and called, "Abolish, Liberator!" The blade flashed, lengthening into a shaft before the tip contorted and solidified. When the light faded, Jin was holding a fangtian ji with bright red fur. "Liberator isn't at maximum effectiveness on its own. It's main ability is extending my spiritual energy to my allies, increasing their stamina, endurance, and regeneration. I can also use that strength to raise barriers around them temporarily with the Shell command. And this, is my bankai!" There was a loud rushing sound accompanied by another burst of light, and when it faded, Jin held a handsome and imposing nine dragon trident.

"That looks a little impractical," Yoshiko commented.

"It's actually very practical," Said Shunsui. "A nine dragon trident has every tool you need in close and mid range: prongs, hooks, and blades. It's an incredibly difficult weapon to master, but once it is, it's oppressive and hard to counter."

"Uh-huh. It's now Conquering Warlord, and it pools and strengthens the energy of my allies, binding us together, even further increasing everyone's durability and strength. I can project one of the blades from an ally with the Rip command, and also momentarily lengthen the shaft at will."

"Like Gin's?" Asked Rin.

"A little, but not even half as far or fast. It's to long range, but not From-Next-Town-Over long range."

Katsumi nodded. "See? It's possible to have a game-changing bankai without being blatantly unfair," She said to Shinju. "But what about yours, cousin?"

"Ah, well here ya go! In the Winter air, tower over the land, and rumble, Snowy Peak!" There was the burst of chilly blue sparkles, and Snowy Peak's blade lengthened slightly into a double-edged sword.

"A haiku as your release command? Not even the Captain-Commander's is that pretentious," Yoshiko said.

"It's about dignity and bravery," Zenzo said.

"You're a Kuchiki," Shinju asked. "What about the native dignity of your family?"

"I was a little more like my cousin Miki," Zenzo answered. "Putting my training and work first, without bringing the family into it. But I learned quick what happened to lone Kuchiki," Zenzo added. "But enough of that. Snowy Peak is a melee type that enhances my strength and durability, and focuses my spiritual pressure along the edge to add crushing weight to my strikes. There's a reason they called me 'One-Hit Zenzo', you know."

"You don't say? Huh," Yoshiko said.

"First of all, spoiler; second, that fight would have gone much differently if I'd scored a hit on you. Now witness the majestic power of my bankai!" Zenzo stabbed Snowy Peak into the air, his spiritual pressure causing the air to rumble and shake, glittering snowy energy cascading down onto him until he was obscured. The energy spiraled out in a burst, revealing Zenzo wearing pauldrons and gauntlets of rough rock that glittered with snow, and a cape of snow blue. Snowy Peak's blade had returned to a katana shape, but was now as tall as Zenzo, and had a large pommel like a mountain peak. "Behold my bankai: Eternal King of the White Mountain!"

"Definitely looks impressive," Kaguya said with a smile.

"Thanks," Zenzo said with a smile. "Eternal King of the White Mountain's abilities are very similar, but now it increases the downward force of my spiritual pressure, and extends the crushing effect into the surrounding area on contact."

"Melee type soul cutters are so underrated," Akinari said.

"Definitely," Shunsui concurred. "You don't always need flash to get the job done."

Katsumi straightened up, and flipped her long dark hair over her shoulder. The others looked to her. "They called him One-Hit Zenzo, but no one's ever willingly faced me twice. I think you know why, don't you, Akinari?"

"Spoiler! And yes, I can understand why. I'd do it again if I had to, but I was still sore the next day."

"Any strike from Dozing Green causes intense nerve pain in the contact area," Katsumi explained to the others. "And with the Crawl command, that pain becomes even more extreme, and non-localized."

"That's it? Just hurting doesn't sound amazing to me, at all," Yoshiko said.

Akinari scoffed, and asked, "What was that curling thing it did?"

"That's it's Embrace command. It's not free wiggling around, it's just in that loop. And if you thought it was bad before, then get a load of this: bankai!" Tendrils of ghostly deep green snaked out from Katsumi and sunk into the ground, a sickly green mist rising up off of Katsumi as her sword blade dissolved.

"...That's it?"

"Of course not," Katsumi said to Yoshiko. "Repose of the Dark Forest spreads and matures throughout the area of my spiritual pressure, and I can call up tendrils to bind and whip my opponents."

"Okay, slightly more interesting."

"Ha! And that's not it. The tendrils can mature to produce blooms with that continuously release Crawl pollen which I can direct freely; or, I can call up a tendril with concentrated power to serve as my blade."

"Concentrated power, pain, blah blah blah. Mildly interesting, but nothing special."

"Something I haven't mentioned yet is that with Repose of the Dark Forest, its intensified power breaks down cell bindings." The group fell quiet then, and Rin cleared her throat.

"I think I'll see who else is here."

"So many Kuchiki to meet," Kaguya said, looking away and backing out. Avoiding meeting Katsumi's eyes, the group broke up and spread out.

Rin was in the middle of the crowd when she spotted Genshiro Okikiba. "Vice captain!" She greeted with a smile, walking over. "How have you been?"

"I've been well, Miss Takanade. You know, I've been waiting for a rematch with you since we sparred back in chapter three."

"Really? Now that I think about it, that did feel pretty good. And how's the job been?"

"Vice captain Ise has been taking on more of the practical side of things. I've taken a number of training trips, trying to stay on top of the new generation. I realized during the story you never really know where the danger will come from."

"That was one of the roughest things during the story," Rin said, nodding in agreement.

"It was something that I adjusted for, too," Said Kazue.

"Oh, hi." Kazue nodded, and shook hands with Rin.

"I have to stay sharp, being in the Patrol Force," Kazue said. "But the events of the story… I'm less judgemental, now. It took a while, but I'm calmer, and more open."

"I think that's where I need to get to. I'll think everything's okay, and then I switch right back to being bitter."

"We all move at different speeds," Genshiro said.

"Speaking of speed, what about your bankai? I remember you were pretty fast."

"Ah. Well, Corona doesn't enhance my speed. As you know, its motion leaves after images, and I can leave more lasting ones of myself with Scattering Feathers, in addition to Quill Sweep unleashing an arc of light."

"And that's canon?" Kazue asked, curious.

"No, Tite Kubo never revealed my soul cutter in the manga, so Corona is the author's creation. And as for my final release… bankai!" Genshiro drew Corona and swept it to the side, golden light scattering in its wake as he began to glow. Wings of light spread from his back, and Corona melted back along his arm to become a golden gauntlet with talons. Genshiro's uniform shone with a golden light from within, washing out the colors and forming a corona around him. "Bankai: Golden Crow!"

"Fairly impressive," Kazue noted.

"I would agree," Genshiro said. "Golden Crow's ability to create sunspots and afterimages is more free, and I can focus the light it exudes to produce power beams and bursts."

"And it does produce a lot of light."

"Oh- Toshi, good to see you again!" Smiling, Rin and Toshi briefly hugged.

"Aside from the afterimages, the corona of light around me is an important part of Golden Crow. I can manipulate nearby light with my off hand to make shields outside it, or prevent from penetrating it."

"So that would make it impossible to see in or out?" Kazue observed.

"Very astute. Also, direct contact with Golden Crow can blind."

Toshi whistled. "That's one loaded bankai."

"Didn't you say something about wanting a rematch with her?" Kazue asked Genshiro. "Who do you guys think would win now?"

"It would be an interesting match," Said Rin. "Golden Crow would be effective at a faster paced short fight, but Mountain Bell would favor a more drawn out one."

"Then there's our swordsmanship skills," Genshiro said. "I'll admit miss Takanade's are quite impressive, but I knew nothing going in to her testing. And you don't stick around as long as me without having a few tricks up your sleeve."

Rin chuckled, and looked over to Kazue. "So what about you? I saw you were vice captain of the Patrol Force, and Squad Two's eighth seat."

Kazue nodded. "That's about as far as I'll go while Omaeda's around. I was hungry for success early in my career, and that's what got me to the top so fast- that, and Azure Hornet." Kazue drew her soul cutter, and held it out.

"Is that a crushed dragonfly wing design on the tsuba?" Rin asked. Kazue nodded to confirm. "That's really nice."

"Thank you." Rin got the sense Kazue was smiling beneath her Patrol Force mask, and the woman took up a forwards ready stance.

"Awake, Azure Hornet!" Glowing blue, Azure Hornet's blade bent at a ninety degree angle and the handle lengthened. When the light faded it had the form of a kama, the blade seemingly made of an iridescent blue insect wing, with the pommel spiralling into a stinger. "I'll spare you the firsthand experience, and say that it's all about the stinger. It can extend," Kazue demonstrated, "And its stings form a small hornet that stays on the target, allowing me to track them. I can, of course, call on that hornet to sting its host at will, and I can also call back some of the spiritual energy it digs out to protect one of my limbs with a sort of chitin."

"Okay, but can the little hornets fly around?"

"Not in its shikai. And aside from the sting, I can also have the blade phase through the target."

"Bypassing any defense?" Genshiro asked.

"Any physical one, yes, though it doesn't cause direct physical damage- it just leaves behind a stinging sensation. Kido and strong enough spiritual pressure can keep it from phasing, though."

"So when someone thinks they've blocked it, then they really haven't, and you're free to sneak in the stinger," Theorized Toshi.

"Exactly."

"Mm. And the bankai?"

"Here it is!" An iridescent and crystalline blue light enveloped Kazue, who grew in height slightly; the light fractured, revealing Kazue's uniform had become blue chitin, with hornet wings spreading from her back. A tail grew from just beneath the wings, and it had a stinger at its end; Kazue's hands had become gloves like an insect's feet, her boots likewise. "Bankai: Heavenly Hornet! The stinger is still key," Said she, demonstrating the tail could move around and extend. "With this size, it'll have a lot more impact, and the stings can produce multiple hornets- which can now fly around. And apparently, I can fly, too!" Kazue took wing and hovered around in a circle above for a moment.

"Low-key the most unfair thing about her bankai," Toshi whispered to Rin. "It's second nature, but not having to gather spirit particles under your feet? Huge."

"It seems you've lost your kama," Genshiro noted as Kazue landed.

"True, but now my hands and feet have the same phasing capability," Kazue replied. She smiled, and said to Toshi, "I can see the gears turning, like you're plotting how to defeat me."

"Not seriously, but I am curious as to how I'd do against a real multi-faceted bankai like that. Red Door doesn't have any bells and whistles to play around with."

"Hmm? So your soul cutter's named Red Door?" Rin asked.

"Yeah, check it out." Toshi tossed it over to Rin, who saw it had a red wrap over black ray skin. The tsuba had for rectangles chiseled into it, with a small bead between them on one side.

"Literally a door," Rin said, showing it to Kazue and Genshiro before handing Red Door back to Toshi.

"You'll never guess how lazy the author got for my release command," Toshi said as he drew the blade. "Open, Red Door!" There was a faint metallic creaking sound.

"...That's it?"

"I'd tell you there's more to Red Door than meets the eye, but there really isn't," Toshi said to Rin. "It's a melee type, and ups my speed and strength and stamina and durability. It also allows me to channel outside and inner spiritual energy together for a little bit to boost its boosts."

"There's nothing wrong with something simple and reliable," Said Kazue.

"Yeah. Now let my bankai blow your minds. Bankai!" Toshi shouted. There was a burst of spiritual pressure, and Rin could see that his soul cutter's tsuba had changed once again. "Surprised?"

"Yes, actually," Kazue said. "As far as I know, only Kurosaki had a bankai that seemed so… plain," She finished, with an apologetic shrug.

"It basically just does more of the same, but the structure it uses to help channel energy is much stronger. I can't really see an upper limit to it right now, but it would wear me out afterwards."

"Plain, but still useful," Kazue said. "And it does feel like a strong bankai. But enough of that. How have you been since the story ended?" She asked, Rin and Genshiro nodding in agreement.

"I gotta say, life has been pretty good. I heard earlier in this chapter the good captain can't conduct internal investigations anymore, but he was still able to officially pardon me, given that there was never any actual reason for my imprisonment."

"That's awesome!" Said Rin, smiling. "Have you been taking it easy, or…?"

"Noperino. I've gotten right back into training and re-enlisted with Squad Thirteen. I gotta make up for lost time, as I see it."

"How does Squad Thirteen suit you now?" Asked Kazue.

"Same flavor, but a slightly different mouth feel, if you will. Captain Kuchiki's done a lot to keep up the atmosphere Captain Ukitake had around the division, which is fairly nice; she's not as open, but still supportive and encouraging once you get to know her."

"Have you thought about trying to take the vacant vice captain spot?" Rin asked Toshi.

"Ha! This bonus chapter isn't too long after the story ended, so no. I'm still a little rusty. But who knows. Maybe one day," Toshi said with a wink.

Yushiro hesitated, then approached the group of Kuchiki who were chatting animatedly. They fell silent, and Miki asked, "Incoming huge spoilers for people that skipped here from early on?"

Nodding, Yushiro said, "I want to formally apologize for my family's actions. As the formal head, I acted far too late, and made multiple fatal mistakes with my plan."

"I appreciate the honesty," Miki said. "It can't have been easy to make those decisions."

"It wasn't."

"How have you been since the story ended?" Manabu asked.

"I've had a lot of adjusting to do. I wasn't executed, and instead Central Forty-Six had me exiled to the world of the living until further notice. I've taken up residence in Karakura Town, helping Urahara with his shop."

"Huh. You know, that would make a great background for a next generation Bleach story," Manabu commented. "And I assume you've gotten back into training to take your revenge at some point?"

"No," Yushiro said sheepishly. "My arms are weaker than ever, so I'm just limited to day-to-day activities. I think my days as a fighter may be done for good."

"Not in this bonus chapter!" Ohta said brightly. "Why don't you show us whatcha got?"

"If you all wouldn't mind, then I guess I could," Yushiro said. "Now, I think the reader got a fairly good sense of my shikai in the last chapter, so I'll go straight to full power. Bankai!" An orb of fiery energy surrounded Yushiro, and it morphed into a flaming phoenix of energy with a burst. "Bankai: Burning Reign!"

"Wow, that looks a lot like D.I.O.," Suzu noted.

"Probably why the author didn't give him a bankai during the last chapter," Miki said to her daughter.

"D.I.O. was much more stylized and ornate," Yushiro replied.

"Is it mostly like Southern Phoenix?" Atsushi asked.

"Mostly," Yushiro affirmed. It still gets hotter the stronger my opponents are, and grows in size in the same way, too. It also can shoot feathers that explode on contact."

"So it looks pretty cool, but I don't really see what any advantages might be," Suzu said.

"The advantage is the change in form," Miki explained. "Increased reach and improved defense, as well as enhanced mobility with the wings."

"What she said," Yushiro confirmed. He angled towards Suzu and asked, "I heard you had a fire type soul cutter, too. Let's see it!"

"Alright! Lash, Crimson Tongue!" Suzu's blade lengthened into an elegant urumi of fire, which she swung around for a moment. "Crimson Tongue stays fairly simple in its shikai. There's the Kiss command I got to use during the story that can split the blade into two fangs on the end,, but it can also widen and lengthen. Spit!" Crimson Tongue stretched out, reaching high into the air before retracting. "Flare!" The blade widening, Suzu pulled it in front of her, blocking her torso and thighs from view. "So, that's about it. But as I now know, my bankai gets pretty crazy."

"Let's see it, then!" Ohta said with a smirk.

"Bankai!" Crimson Tongue grew and grew, spiralling around and thickening until with a flare it took the form of a large cobra of fire. "Bankai: Eightfold King!"

"Ah, so kind of similar to Renji's Zabimaru, huh?" Asked Manabu.

"In the sense that it's long and vaguely whip-like, yes. But Eightfold King is more heavily snake based than Zabimaru: it's fangs have extreme piercing power, and instead of firing a huge blast, its tongue can be used to constrict a target with the Lash command. It can coil around me for defense, the edge of its hood can cut, and it can Molt on command, too."

"A bankai molting? I don't understand how that is helpful," Yushiro said.

"Well, you see, the shed skin is brittle and volatile, and can explode of too much pressure is applied to it."

"Okay," Yushiro said, nodding. "So Eightfold King seems to have a number of useful tools, but I don't see it getting 'crazy'."

"That's because I'm still in the early stages now. When I have this thing fully mastered, it'll produce eight snakes instead of one."

"Oh."

Atsushi held his chin, thinking. "So… Suzu has a fire type soul cutter, but yours is water?" He asked Miki. "I'd always thought immediate families had some sort of similarity to their soul cutters."

"That's more of a general trend than a hard and fast rule," Miki answered. "Here. Let me show you. Censure, Dogma!" At the release command, water began to jet along the sword, forming a blade of water. "Like yours do, Dogma functions as advertised in the story. But what the reader doesn't know is that I have to apply my own spiritual pressure for it to jet instead of just flow. It took me so long to understand that."

"So does the Flood command work in a similar way?" Manabu asked.

"It does, but by itself it already produces a lot of water. And now: bankai!" The ominous feeling that accompanied Dogma's shikai swelled like an ocean wave, mists swirling around Miki and obscuring her, then settling on the ground and revealing Miki now wore a ghostly white kimono, a pale seaweed mask covering her face, her hair ankle-length kelp. Dogma had become an eku with a metallic, double edge blade, water jetting out from the center. "Bankai: Maiden of the Mist."

"Oh sweet baby Soul King, that is the hardest hard ten I've ever sensed," Manabu said.

"That… is indeed a bankai with an otherworldly strength," Yushiro agreed, gulping. "Does it 'get crazy' like Suzu's?"

"No," Miki answered, her voice echoing from all around. "I can make it rain with the Rain Dance command, and I can also become mist-like for a short period of time with the Fog ability," Miki said. She demonstrated it by dissolving into mist and stepping through Atsushi, reforming behind him.

"Hmm. Speaking of bankais multiplying power between five to ten times, what would you say yours is, Suzu?"

"Right now I'd call it a soft nine, but may that's because I'm still new with it. In any case, let's not focus on power and rankings right now."

Ohta nodded, and drew her soul cutter. "So I guess I'm up next. This is Jade Leaf!" Ohta held it up for the group to see, showing that it had a leaf-shaped tsuba and a green wrap over brown ray skin.

"Ah- see, here's the family soul cutter resemblance again," Atsushi said. "From what I saw of hers, it has some similarities with Byakuya's."

"That's true, but his is more about offense, while Jade Leaf is more about utility. Here: Bud, Jade Leaf!" Her soul cutter glowing sparkling green, it fragmented and lifted away into leaf-shaped shards of jade that hovered around Ohta. "As you can see, I can keep them hovering in a sort of loose cloud around me. It can't just freely send them all flying like uncle can, but I can shoot them in a line. However, I can bring them together and assemble them however I want. In a shield or two blades like in the story, in a hoop, a battering ram..." Ohta said, demonstrating the forms. "Another handy thing is that I can use Jade Leaf as a platform in midair."

"Okay, okay," Atsushi said, nodding. "I can see the utility aspect of it. Does your bankai have the same kind?"

"It has even more, actually. Bankai!" Jade Leaf flashed, the shards becoming more detailed and multiplying, slowly revolving around Ohta. "Bankai: Guardian Tree! See, in my bankai, I'm now able to move the shards around more freely, and I can also expand and shrink them. I can form them into even bigger constructs, too. What gives me the most defensive utility is that Guardian Tree slowly absorbs spiritual energy from the nearby area- I can speed this up by staying in one place- and produces more shards as it does that, while also redirecting damage I take to the shards."

Katsumi did a double take, but once she was sure, she walked over. "Renji Fudo. You're a surprisingly hard man to find."

"Only when Uskius is around," Renji said with a grin. 'That hair… I'd be correct in assuming you're a Kuchiki?"

Katsumi nodded, and looked over to the woman beside Yoshiko. "I don't think we've met: I'm Katsumi Kuchiki."

"Kin Kondo," Answered Kin, brushing her dark bangs out of her eyes. "Good to meet you. I was just over here trying to get some answers from the man that set this whole story in motion."

"That's right- you never really got a straight answer from Rin during the story, after all," Yoshiko said.

"I didn't, and WOW his this conversation been an eye-opener. How Rin survived D.I.O., what the plan of the Shihoin was, and what would have happened if Renji was still around…"

"Yeah, how _did_ Rin survive D.I.O.?" Katsumi asked. "I know the author hinted at it, but for the readers who didn't pick up on it, what exactly happened?"

Renji cleared his throat. "Before I get started, there will be some massive spoilers throughout our entire conversation. Now, the first thing that should have tipped you off was the fact that Rin was manipulating sound. That's a distinctly quincy ability, but one outside their normal array of powers- one that only quincy close to Juhabach would have had." Renji looks at you, and nods. "See, I'll admit to the experiments. I'd been broken by the loss of my family, and I was always searching for a new way, because I never truly felt strong enough. Since it was the quincy that had caused that pain, I became obsessed with understanding them and trying to analyze and gain their powers for my own. But early on, the experiments were failures. All I did was break down those young men and women, and I now deeply regret those days. I kept searching and searching, and then I realized what had been missing: divine cells."

"Wait, like from the Soul King?" Yoshiko asked.

"Mm-hmm. There were fragments of it scattered throughout Rukongai- some were seized by Juhabach, but others still moved in secret- and after working with Captain Kurotsuchi, I was able to reverse engineer his method of obtaining them, and procured some of my own. Even so, it took a while to find the right way of integrating those cells- and it turned out that bringing the subject to a state similar to a quincy by reducing their immunity to hollow acid worked."

"So in the cases where it was successful, the subjects gained what was basically a Script?" Katsumi asked. Renji nodded.

"So how did Rin survive D.I.O.?" Asked Yoshiko.

"D.I.O. was made to completely annihilate mortal organisms of spirit particles. Rin, however, was not fully mortal: after the injections, she was partially divine. And when D.I.O. encountered that aspect of her, it… transformed her cellular structure into something more akin to itself than totally annihilate her."

"Great, so not only is she the main character, she's also literally a god," Yoshiko huffed.

Renji chuckled. "No, that's not how it works- in Bleach you don't fully become divine until you replace the Soul King as the linchpin of existence. So, for instance, you could consider Captain Ukitake to be 'god', but not Rin or ther others."

"Hold on," Katsumi said, raising her hand. "Some things are starting to fall into place. You successfully complete the experiments and then get the heck out of Dodge, and wind up working for a family with a divine relic…"

"Wow! You put that together awfully quick. I'll admit, after finishing up on the experiments, I looked towards the divine for more power. I'd successfully made the transition myself-"

"So you're one of your synthetic quincy, too?" Kin asked.

"-Yes, Script and all- and what I was now looking at was how the Imperial Soldier Garments worked. I knew I could never get away with stealing them, so part of my plan was to spend as much time in their presence as possible. My main takeaway was that it was fully divine, not a hybrid like Juhabach or me. So when I took the transfer offer over to Squad Seven, my new mission was to produce lab-grown divine cells, and use them to construct my own suit of armor."

"And did you succeed?"

"I did. The Prince's Garb is safely hidden away somewhere in Soul Society."

"And that's how he would've beaten the Kuchiki," Yoshiko added. "That is, if I'd been able to finish our conversation and convince him to that day in the tea garden that started this whole thing."

"Ah," Katsumi said slowly. She looked off into the distance for a moment, then snapped back to Renji. "Wait- based on the last chapter, you still could've been beatable by a couple captain-class fighters. How would you have done against Byakuya and the others?"

Renji smirked. "That's where my soul cutter would've come in." Drawing it, Renji held it out. It had a blue wrap over white ray skin, and the golden tsuba was in the shape of a quincy cross. "Seek, Moon Sacrament!" Energy glowed and then streaked back along the blade down Renji's arm, and when it faded it had become a crimson gauntlet like the head of an eastern dragon. "In its shikai, Moon Sacrament gives me increased defense on my arm, and heightens my spiritual energy senses and awareness. Its main ability is to redirect the flows of energy, and impart additional power to those flows."

"So, basically," Kin said slowly, "Unless your opponent is directly controlling their kido or soul cutter attack, you can redirect it at will to turn it against them?"

"Correct, and even if they are directly in control of it, I may be able to overpower them. However, redirecting becomes harder the more spiritual energy is behind an attack, so in theory, I could still be overwhelmed."

"So something like White Ripple wouldn't faze you, but you'd have more trouble with Senbonzakura," Katsumi theorized.

"Yes. Rukia's shikai was the one I considered a lesser threat without the Prince's Garb, though it still could've posed some problems in close range. I was confident I'd have the upper hand in that scenario, though. But as for their bankais… then it would be time for the dragon to enter. Here, let me show you: bankai!" Moon Sacrament's gauntlet expanded and grew over Renji, until he floated in the air, totally obscured by it; the neck trailing away until it was invisible. "Bankai: Sacred Chaos of the West Wind!"

"Is your bankai like a Cheshire Cat version of the shikai, or is there more to it?" Kin asked.

"There is much more to it. See, it at base level offers even more defense- but with only the head, no energy redirecting capabilities. However, contact with the head can absorb energy, which will flesh out the form. A little farther down are the arms," Said Renji, materializing the limbs. "With these, I'm now able to decompress and redirect energy. With the hind legs, I'm able to compress energy. And, as I'm doing to demonstrate, I can force Sacred Chaos of the West Wind into its full form- but doing so will make it less effective. Last but not least, being a dragon, I of course have energy breath: releasing some of the energy I've absorbed into a concentrated beam- though, doing so would weaken the defense of the form."

"Ah, so any problems of being in close or dealing with intense streams of energy would be less of a problem," Katsumi deduced.

"Is this Renji Fudo?" The Kuchiki looked over, and saw Tsuru Naguchi walking up.

"This is me."

"I heard some crazy things during the story, so I wanted to check them out now that I had a chance. I guess this is your bankai?" Tsuru asked, tucking a strand of her auburn hair behind her ear.

"Yes!"

"Hmm, let me check the last several paragraphs… okay, okay. That's a pretty strong and well-rounded soul cutter you've got."

"Thank you," Renji replied. "I'm sure yours is also quite powerful and dynamic."

"Well, it's not bad," Tsuru said, looking around the group. "Do any of you want to go first, or can I?"

"Actually, I haven't gotten to explain my soul cutter yet," Kin said. "So here we go: Resound, Peony of Judgement!" In a burst of cinders, Peony of Judgement took the form of shuriken of fire made of a peony bloom.

"That's pretty," Tsuru commented.

"Of course, but Peony of Judgement isn't just for show. On contact, it'll release a cloud of its pollen as burning cinders, which can hang around and damage the opponent for a little while. Hey, Renji- would you mind helping me out?"

"Go ahead." Kin lazily threw Peony of Judgement at Renji, the shuriken bursting into a glowing cloud of cinders as it connected with the dragon's face before returning to Kin's hand. Renji turned his bankai's head into them cloud, causing it to spark, and then open the dragon's mouth and absorbed them.

"See? Just like that. If I'm feeling extra spicy, I can have it release a petal instead, and cause an explosion. I can only do that a limited number of times in my shikai, though. Another thing is I can bring a cloud of cinder pollen out around me for a distraction."

"So it's primarily a ranged weapon, but it does have some melee utility," Miki said.

"Uh-huh! Everything gets taken up a few notches with my bankai, which I'll show you now. Bankai!" Columns of shimmering fire rose up around Kin,, and white-hot flowers bloomed at the end of them. "Bankai: White Jade Lion of the High Palace! Now I'm able to pluck the flowers off- which regrow quickly- to use, and they trail both petals and pollen behind as I throw them. Normally they continuously emit the cinder pollen too, but I'm holding that back right now."

"Hmm. You know, it kind of has some similarities with mine," Katsumi said.

"True, but I think Repose of the Dark Forest is more continuously spreading, whereas White Jade Lion of the High Palace covers a large area, but only that area."

"Ah, I see. Heh, we'd make a killer team," Katsumi replied with a grin. Kin slowly smiled, and Manabu looked over to Tsuru.

"So how about you? I think you're the last one before the author."

"No, she isn't, actually." The group turned to look, and saw Tamina Asai walking up.

"Wait, this is an edit?" Asked Miki. "Did the author forget about you?"

"Yeah. On the one hand you can't blame him because there are almost two dozen of us, but on the other hand, he worked out me and my Shikai years before I popped up here. The whoosh sound almost deafened me."

"So, how have you been since the story?" Miki asked. "You're from Squad Eleven, right?"

"Uh-huh. I've been fourth seat over there for a while, partly because of politics, and also who's above my rank. But since the story, I've jumped back into training. I saw in the last chapter Rin trained like she's aiming to be the next Kenpachi, and me, I felt like I _was_ a Kenpachi, of sorts. My captain's untouchable. My vice captain has a bankai, and the third seat has a Soul Cutter so different from everyone else in the division's- well, mine is too, but even so it's more melee based- so I had this sense that I was the strongest of my squad's 'normal' troops, and closest to our ideal."

"And then chapter fourteen comes along, and you become the sacrificial lion," Katsumi observed.

"Exactly," Tamina agreed, nodding. "I couldn't even remember the last time Kappa got chipped, and then it happened twice in one fight. So I got angry. I got so damn angry at letting myself get complacent that I cried. But then I got to work. I trained to get stronger, and more in tune with Kappa. I gave myself a new goal: become third seat within the next twenty-five years."

"And you have your bankai already?" Tsuru joked.

Tamina smirked. "Not until this bonus chapter. Before, it was a concept I didn't even understand, but I have a solid grasp of it now. I'm still a long ways from making it happen outside this, but I feel like it's doable. And speaking of which, it's time to count it off!" Tamina drew her Soul Cutter, and took up a ready stance. "Shred, Kappa!" After the blade shifted back and expanded over her forearm, the glow faded to reveal a turtle shell buckler with a razor sharp edge. "So this is Kappa. Something that didn't get expanded on in the story is that it's actually a defensive type."

Kin's eyebrows leapt up. "Hold on, a _defensive_ type Soul Cutter in Squad Eleven?"

"Ha ha! Yeah, it can seem pretty crazy, but like I said, it's still more melee-based. Kappa's two primary skills are dispersing energy that comes into contact with the buckler into water, and then making me invisible and untraceable in water while I'm wielding it."

"That would set up an interesting style," Noted Renji. "An immediate vanish early on still wouldn't provide much cover, so you work towards more protracted fights, I assume?"

"Not on purpose, because Kappa can still cut pretty well. In most one on one fights I just take advantage of Kappa's defensive strength to close the gap and take out my opponent with a single slash. But in large-scale battles, I do go for vanishes frequently. And now: _bankai_!" Tamina raised Kappa and held her fist to the base of her neck, the buckler sliding down and expanding to cover her back as it glowed purple and orange and blue and red, the colors shrinking and then settling into four points around the edge. The shield still had a turtle shell look, and the four colors had become the handles of different weapons hidden under the shell. "Bankai: Splinter!"

"Seriously?" Yoshiko asked. "Bit of a spoiler, but between Tsuru's sword and yours it just sounds like the author got a little lazy with the names."

"That's just how he writes," Tamina said with a shrug. "If there were easier parallels to make with all of your Soul Cutters, I'm fairly sure he would have done the same thing."

"Splinter seems to be an unusual bankai, though- perhaps the oddest I've ever seen," Miki said. "No large materialization, and what appears to be multiple quite normal weapons..."

Tamina grinned. "Kappa is still my only weapon: with Splinter, I just have a few more tools to use it with." Still grinning, Tamina looked around the group. "This is a spoiler, but, if the bonus chapter won't be having a tournament, how about you guys help me with demonstrating what Splinter can do?" There was a murmur of agreement, and Tamina turned to Tsuru as she took Splinter off her back and put it on her arm. "Come on! Throw your hardest strikes at me!" With a small smile, Tsuru took a step back and then snapped a swift side kick at Splinter- only to find her foot slipped off it as the strike became a spray of water.

"Oh! So Splinter can convert physical force into water now?" Asked Tsuru.

"Yes! Exactly. Now everyone: hit me with your best shot!" After glancing around, Kin shrugged and began chucking flame blossom shuriken at Tamina. After seeing the series of exquisite explosions, Yoshiko and Ohta and Katsumi turned their bankai on Tamina in a breathtaking display of flame and sparkling bursts of green. "That all you got?!"

Chuckling, Renji inhaled and then roared with his bankai, reducing its form to breathe out a massive blast of fiery red energy. When it connected with Splinter their was a fierce hiss of steam, which faded to reveal Tamina was standing next to him.

"What?!" Ohta looked back and forth, but it definitely seemed as if Tamina was in two places at once.

"Ah," Renji said slowly. "I can see the skin of this one rippling."

"So these are just some type of clone?" Yoshiko asked.

"That's right. I can manipulate dispersed water into clones of myself, up to four. They aren't quite completely independent, so I need to maintain awareness of my surroundings for them to be effective." Narrowing her eyes, Tsuru stepped over and then launched a furious flying side kick at the clone next to Yoshiko. The impact caused a splash the obscured the clone, and when the droplets settled and it reformed, the clone was smaller. "Hey. Good thinking," Tamina said to Tsuru.

"So they're destructible, but physical attacks are vastly less effective against them?" Asked Miki.

"Yeah." Grinning, Tamina reached up and drew a watery blue katana from beneath Splinter's shell. "Now, which one of you is the least bitch?"

"I'll volunteer," Miki said, floating forwards and lifting Maiden of the Mist. "Rain Dance!" Immediately the sky clouded over, and a few moments later a steady rain came down, and Tamina vanished.

"What! She didn't say anything about Splinter being able to use kido or natural water!" Complained Yoshiko. The four clones of Tamina rushed Miki, who spun and deflected all of the attacks before exploding two with one sweep of Maiden of the Mist. As that happened, a line of red leapt out of her side, the color thinning out and then becoming clear. The remaining clones jumped to stand beside Tamina as she reappeared. Miki nodded, and Tamina sheathed the katana.

"That's Splinter's first Art: Painting. Wounds I inflict with the katana become water available for me to use. And here's its second: Engineering." Tamina drew the sai, which was a liquid red like a sunset on a sea's horizon. She and Miki raced towards each other and clashed, so much water flying everywhere it was like watching a shark fight in a whirlpool.

"All that water... that has to be it," Tsuru said to herself.

"Huh?" Yoshiko asked, looking over.

"Engineering increases the amount of water Splinter can use from physical attacks." Waving, one of Tamina's clones looked at Tsuru and nodded.

Tamina and Miki separated, a splash of water going out in a wave from them. Stowing the sai and reaching up to draw out the evening purple bo staff, Tamina said, "This is the third Art: Architecture. What it allows me to do with Splinter is manipulate the available water nearby." Lifting the bo, the rain seemed to reverse for a moment, until it became apparent Tamina had instead raised up a canopy of water to keep the rain out. As she did so, her two clones liquefied and splashed down. "Immobile structures can actually hang around for a minute after I'm done with the Art, so now I'll show you the final one: Sculpting." The bo back in its place, Tamina drew sunset orange nun chuks. "Ohta! Could you help with this one?"

"I'll try..." Ohta called Guardian Tree's jade leaves together in the form of a shield, which Tamina sprang forwards and slammed the nun chuks into with a whirl. The impact area splintered apart into individual leaves, and there was a tinkling sound as the rest of Guardian Tree's leaves rustled. Ohta's eyes widened, and she reformed the shield. Whipping the nun chuks into a blur, with a shout Tamina struck the shield again, it once more fragmenting away on impact.

"This is where I might be looking for an extended fight," Tamina said to Renji. "What Sculpting does is give the nun chuk strikes the weight of the available water for Splinter. So, if I'm facing a particularly tough opponent, I might try to wear them down and then finish them off with Sculpting."

"So, let me get this straight," Yoshiko began. "Pretty much any kind of attack that comes into contact with the shield can get neutralized and converted into water, which you can then use to become invisible, make clones of yourself, and then you can use Splinter's four Arts to give you even more advantages? I'm calling bullshit. That's just too much."

"Calm down, you wuss. You didn't complain about Fudo's bankai," Tamina retorted.

"Well, uh-"

"Besides, it's _what comes into contact with the shield_ that gets neutralized. If you can outspeed me and get around it, none of what you just complained about matters. Besides, this thing isn't unbreakable; I could still get pushed around by impacts, and someone like my captain could outright split it if they tried hard enough." Smiling, she turned to Tsuru. "So what about you? It seemed like you had quick eyes and reflexes. What's your Soul Cutter like?"

"Okay! So, here's Thousand Birds." Tsuru drew it, and held it out. Suzu saw it had a blue wrap over grey ray skin, and a golden lightning bolt shaped tsuba. "I'm one of the more paperwork focused officers in my squad, so I'm really excited for this. Storm, Thousand Birds!" With a loud chirping sound the tsuba shifted into half-dome, under which short cloudy gray wings went up Tsuru's forearm as the blade shifted into a straight short sword of lightning, giving Thousand Birds the overall appearance of a pata.

"Lightning?" Asked Miki, eyebrow raised. "I'd thought you would be more of an ice type."

"Actually, my older brother does have an ice sub-type soul cutter, and I'd thought it was so cool. But, once I graduated from the academy, Thousand Birds was what I had."

"Do you have to use any hands seals for it?" Yoshiko asked.

"The author did draw on Naruto for my soul cutter's names, but no, no hand seals. What Thousand Birds does do is greatly enhance my speed, and its oscillation allows it to cut through kido and spiritual energy barriers more easily. As far as 'jutsu' go, with the Sing command it can unleash a blast of lightning from the blade."

"Do the feathers do anything?" Asked Suzu.

"The feathers do a lot, actually," Tsuru answered with a smile. "In its shikai, I can spread them up and out to cover my arm for increased defense."

"That doesn't sound like a lot," Yoshiko pointed out.

"I'll show you. Bankai!" Thousand Birds' feathers billowed out around Tsuru and swirled to cover her, then split up and flared out behind her into six wings. Tsuru's uniform was gone, replaced by a tiger fur bandeau and short wrap-around skirt held up by a wide leather belt, on the back of which was a long monkey tail; under the skirt Tsuru had green snakeskin leggings. "Bankai: Lightning Cutter!"

"Wow. That's, uh…" Manabu fake coughed and looked away.

"So," Kin said, "About the wings?"

"As you can see, I'm able to bend them and move them all around, and I can use them to defend against attacks- and on contact, they'll shock. And, if I cover myself with them like this…" Lightning Cutters wings expanded and formed a dome over Tsuru, which became more cloud-like and less feathery. "Then I can teleport!" Tsuru said from above. "Of course, the wings allow me to fly, too. And now, for Lightning Cutter's ultimate ability: Tempest!" The wings expanded and merged, spreading out to form a storm cloud behind Tsuru. Sparks flashed inside it, and a livid bolt of lightning stabbed the air. Tsuru then floated down from the cloud, Lightning Cutter's wings gone.

"Wait- if the wings were so critical, why would you leave them behind?" Asked Yoshiko.

"Well, without them I now have further increased speed," Explained Tsuru. "And, I can do this!" In a bolt of lightning, Tsuru blinked back up to the cloud, and with another lightning strike, came back down."

"Hmm, so the Tempest command lets you trade defense for offense," Renji noted.

"Yup! And I still have the blade, too," Tsuru said, bringing up the lightning pata.

"So, Apocalypse," Shunsui said, gesturing towards Uskius' soul cutter. "An intimidating name, of course, but does it have the power to back it up?"

"It's not some instant win type of thing, right?" Kaguya asked.

"Yes, and no." Uskius drew Apocalypse, and Shunsui saw it had a tsuba like a scroll rolled up from both ends with some kind of script on the habaki, along with a dark purple wrap over black ray skin, with a fuller along the spine. "Now, Apocalypse treats everyone else the same, so you'll have to forgive me for releasing it. Reveal yourself, Apocalypse!" The air around Uskius darkened for a moment, and the scroll tsuba opened up into a square.

"...That's it? I thought it'd be a big bad fire type, or use blood in some way," Jin said.

"Ha ha, no. See, Apocalypse is a poison type, and the effects of the poison differ on how I channel it, which are put into four 'Rides': the first ride is called Famine, done by releasing the poison through my body at a high rate- this will physically weaken opponents nearby; the second ride is called Pestilence, which is delivered through the blade at a low rate, and has a fatiguing effect that spreads with motion; the third ride is called War, which releases the poison through my body at a low enough rate for it to stimulate my muscles and give me enhanced strength; the fourth ride is called Death, and it releases the poison through the blade at a high rate, which bleeds out the opponent's spiritual energy."

"Ah, I see…" Shunsui said. "So it's more suited for melee combat, but isn't a strictly melee type?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"Can you do different rides at the same time?" Kaguya asked.

"Not with my shikai, no. And as for doing that in my bankai, here ya go. Bankai!" The sun seemed to vanish from the sky, and there was a noise like a stampede of horses and flames and distant screams mixed together that washed over the area; shadows swam over Uskius to form an ethereal and billowing black robe with a deep hood, the light returning after the robe formed. "Bankai: Final Judgement."

"A distinctly ominous and oppressive feel, now. Does it have any more rides?" Asked Shunsui.

"Only one. Now aside from the area the poison spreading through being larger, to answer your question I can now use two different release channels at the same time- such as War and Death, or Famine and Pestilence."

"Aha- so you can't mix release rates through the same source, like doing both War and Famine?" Asked Kaguya.

Uskius nodded. "That's right. And as for the fifth and final ride… the poison is released straight through my spiritual pressure, and is the true form that's a combination of the first four rides, in addition to having a caustic burning sensation on contact. I can only use it after I've used all of the other four rides first, though."

"Okay, okay, not bad at all," Jin said. "I mean, it's still kinda heavy on edge, being named Apocalypse and after the four horsemen, but it's not totally broken and overpowered like I was expecting."

"Now what about that tournament?" Akinari asked with a smile. Some of the others heard him and a murmur of support grew, until the crowd in front of Squad One's main office was chanting "Tour-na-ment! Tour-na-ment!"

"Quiet down, alright. You'll get the tournament!"

Amidst the cheers, Yoshiko shouted, "But only if Shinju and Katsumi are banned!" There was another growing wave of support which Uskius had to acknowledge.

"Alright, alright. Shinju and Toshi are banned, and Jin is too, unless he agrees to fight solo. Does that sound good?"

"What? Jin and Toshi? I don't really get that," Zenzo said.

"I think I can only fight solo because Conquering Warlord strengthens my allies," Jin explained.

"Okay, but what about Toshi? From what I saw earlier he has literally the most boring soul cutter in the history of Bleach and its fan fiction," Katsumi said.

"When Toshi said he couldn't see an upper limit to the energy channeling of Nine Gates," Uskius said, "That's because there isn't. That kind of potential just wouldn't be fair."

"Hey, wait," Ohta said. "He didn't ban Katsumi!" There was an outcry of disappointment, and Ohta said, "If Katsumi isn't banned, I'm out."

"That's okay," Said Uskius, shrugging. "Everyone who wants out of the tournament, raise your hand." Uskius raised his hand, as well as everyone except for Katsumi. "Well then, I guess that settles it. Katsumi is the grand champion of the tournament!" A dejected and disgusted sigh went up from the crowd.

"Now what do we do?" Kaguya wondered. "We need something else to spice up this bonus chapter, or else it'll just be a boring and pretentious meta piece of garbage."

"How about a beauty pageant?" Katsumi asked. "That seems like it could make for some classic non-canon filler material." Lifting her chin, she added, "I would win, of course."

"What? Come on, we all know Rin would win because she's the main character," Yoshiko countered.

"I would not! I mean, of course I'm pretty because I'm the main character, but I'm not the best looking. Besides, each of us has something outstanding: Katsumi has a classic Kuchiki look, Tsuru's figure is absolutely ridiculous, Ohta has a really cool punk rock vibe going, Miki pulls off being bald amazingly; really, there wouldn't be any point to a beauty pageant. We're all beautiful in some way."

"And on top of that, all our clothes got wet after Miki and Tamina sparred during the edit," Kin added.

"Besides, I think it's canon in this story that Kaguya is the most beautiful of us OC's," Shinju said, Akinari and several others nodding in agreement.

Kazue jumped up to the top of the office steps. "That's because I've never had a face reveal!" She pulled off her Patrol Force mask, and smiled.

"Oh, oh that actually hurts," Rin said, starting to tear up.

"Her eyes just balance everything and pull her look together…" Zenzo said.

"And her hair is so soft!" Kaguya exclaimed, stroking it for a moment. "It's like fluffy silk!"

"This is ridiculous! The author is just doing this to mess with me!" Katsumi objected.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Uskius said blithely.

Clearing her throat, Ohta raised her voice and asked, "What about power rankings? I bet the reader has probably been making their own in their head as they skimmed through our bankai."

"Yeah, that sounds like a better idea," Rin quickly agreed.

"Eh. Why not," Uskius said with a shrug. "Only, I'll be doing it with a list. This bonus chapter is already almost as long as chapter fourteen, and I think there's enough 'story' to it by now that it shouldn't hurt."

"Alright, fine with me, " Yoshiko said.

"Okay. Here it is."

THE SOUND OF TRUTH BANKAI POWER RANKINGS:

Miki

Toshi

Suzu

Shinju

Rin

Yoshiko

Akinari

Tamina

Kaguya

Renji

Genshiro

Yushiro

Katsumi

Jin

Zenzo

Ohta

Tsuru

Kazue

Kin

"What?! I'm down in last?" Kin shouted.

"And I thought I'd be a lot higher," Katsumi said. "Thirteenth place? Gimme a break. You just _had_ to bump me down another spot after editing Tamina in, didn't you?"

"Well, this is based solely on the increase in power that a bankai gives," Uskius explained. "If it were normal power rankings-"

"Rin would probably win, because she's the main character."

"You're just bitter this isn't your story, aren't you?" Rin asked Yoshiko.

"Uh, no, Rin would still not be on top," Uskius corrected. "All I'll say about overall power rankings is that Rin would still be in fifth."

"So now what?" Asked Kaguya. "The beauty pageant and tournament didn't happen, we got some unsatisfying power rankings, and all our soul cutters have been explained."

"I really don't know," Replied Uskius. "That's honestly about all I had planned for this bonus chapter."

"But we can't let it end like this!" Katsumi objected. "The main story ended on a total downer, and now we're stuck with this over-long gag of a bonus chapter! What about the moral of the story, or some short epilogue in the bonus chapter like you did for Sun Bird?"

"Well, the short epilogue is already right out, as some of you have talked about what's happened since the story ended," Said Uskius.

"Then I guess it's up to the main character to save the day," Rin said, looking at you. "I'll leave you with this: I spent centuries trying to outrun my darkness, but that never worked. The only way forwards is to be unafraid of your light."

 **THE END**


End file.
